Tragic. Having that many elite guys in one aircraft does seem like you are asking for trouble. Aside from that, I wonder if the route taken was poor tactical planning itself? Or if some taliban fighter shot off a miracle grenade when he happened to notice the chopper.
The hallways at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School were abuzz with anticipation Monday as students enrolled for the coming school year.But there also was a noticeable heaviness in the air at the various tables in the dining room, monitored mostly by teachers and staff who had been at the school for a number of years.The topic of conversation on this morning was concern for the family of one of their own.Chief Warrant Officer-2 Bryan Nichols, a 1998 graduate of TMP, was one of the pilots killed when a U.S. Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan during the weekend.Also aboard the chopper was another pilot who grew up in Hays, Chief Warrant Officer-4 David Carter, a 1982 graduate of Hays High School.The shocking news spread throughout town about the irony the helicopter, shot down by enemy fire, had been carrying not just one, but two former Hays residents.Almost immediately upon arriving in the office Monday morning, Mary Lang and Kathy Kaseforth of the TMP Alumni Association began receiving calls about ideas for memorials for Nichols.Posts were showing up on Facebook for condolences for the families of Nichols and Carter.News and concern for those back in Hays spread worldwide.Father Chris Cox, a 1988 TMP grad, is a Catholic priest at a parish in Chile.Cox was preparing to board a flight Monday for Madrid to participate in World Youth Day.There, Cox will concelebrate a Mass with Pope Benedict XVI. Cox said he would remember the local heroes during that Mass."It is just so terribly sad," Cox said. "Living here in Chile, even the Chileans know of, and share in, our loss. So from various parts of the globe, Hays' loss and the Nichols and Carter families' particular loss, is felt, and prayers are being offered."Remembering BryanUpon hearing the news of the tragedy, classmates and other family and friends of both pilots began reminiscing, some through Facebook, and others the old-fashioned way -- through photo albums."I got to looking at pictures of when we were in middle school, when we went to see Pope (John Paul II) in Denver (in 1993)," said Taylor Herman, a classmate of Nichols who now lives in the Kansas City area. "We were really good friends for a long time."We'd meet at C-Mart (now Main Street Express at 16th and Main) and get a sno-ball and go bike riding," Herman added, remembering those carefree days. "We rode our bikes forever."Herman said he was touched while attending a memorial service Monday night for the U.S. troops in the Kansas City area, where Nichols lived.Another Kansan killed when the helicopter was hit by rocket fire was Specialist 4 Spencer C. Duncan, a 21-year-old door gunner aboard the chopper who was a graduate of Olathe South High School.Herman said he wasn't surprised Nichols eventually became a pilot."His dad flew remote-control airplanes, and I remember going to Wichita to an air show with their family when we were in middle school," he said. "And (Bryan) wanted to go into the (military), even back then."Lang said plans are being made by the class of '98 for some type of memorial for their fallen classmate. Remains of the 30 U.S. troops killed in the shoot-down reportedly were to be brought to the states today.Nichols was the youngest of four children of Doug and Cynthia Nichols -- who now live in the Palco area -- who attended TMP. Kathy Taylor, longtime guidance counselor at TMP, said she remembers the entire family as being "a really patriotic family.""We've been pretty lucky," said Taylor, whose son, Clint, recently enlisted in the Army National Guard. "This really hits home."Nichols also was remembered by a former employer."I found out (Sunday) night, and it was shocking," said Joe Leiker, manager of Commercial Sign Co. in Hays, for whom Nichols worked in 2003. "He worked for me for about a year, year and a half. ... Just a super, super kid, all the way around."Remembering DaveA Facebook page has been set up for Carter -- You Will Be Missed Dave Carter -- who was remembered by those who knew him as a youngster as "quiet.""I had a few classes with him, and he was kind of quiet and shy, but a little smarter than the rest," said Keith Werth, a classmate of Carter's at Hays High. "I ran into him a couple of years out of high school, and he talked about wanting to become a pilot. It's kind of freaky that two of the (pilots aboard the chopper) were from Hays, Kan."One of Carter's high school teachers remembered him well."I remember him as a good science student, and he loved the out of doors," Donna Cooper, who has taught science at Hays High since 1968, said of Carter, a member of the HHS science club."He was a super kid, a smart kid, and he liked to chase insects," Cooper added while reminiscing about Carter, who went on to continue his education at Fort Hays State University.Cooper said Carter, who lived in Colorado, came back to visit her at Hays High a few years ago. His mother, Elsie, also lives in Colorado.For Cooper, it was one of those "I remember where I was when ... " moments."He was really excited about training to become a pilot," Cooper said."And I know right where I was standing in my classroom and where he was standing when we had that conversation."
