Photo By Sgt. Maj. Nathan Hoskins | Van Buren, Ark., native Chief Warrant Officer Chris Elkins (left), an AH-64D Apache...... read more read more
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By Spc. Nathan Hoskins
1st Air Cavalry Brigade Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – When most Soldiers receive recognition for acting gallantly in battle, many respond with "I was just doing my job." Some don't get that chance.
While many gave their lives to help a country become stable, none should ever be forgotten. And that is the hope of the family and unit of Chief Warrant Officer Keith Yoakum, one of four AH-64D Longbow Apache Helicopter pilots from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, who have sacrificed everything for the safety of others.
On Feb. 2, Yoakum and his co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Jason DeFrenn, both of Company A, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, began taking fire from enemy on the ground. Their wingmen, in another aircraft, were being hit as well. But instead of heading to safety, Yoakum and DeFrenn stayed in the fight to help protect their wingmen, said close friend and Van Buren, Ark., native Chief Warrant Officer Chris Elkins, a fellow pilot and the production control officer for Company D, 1-227th Aviation.
"I think that what happened that day – they got caught in a bad situation," he said.
About a month after Yoakum perished in battle, his twin brother Kevin Yoakum, decided to memorialize him with a killed in action bracelet, said Yoakum's commander, Thomasville, Ga., native Capt. Lee Robinson, commander of the Company A "Avengers," 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.
"I had talked to Keith about the bracelets before he deployed. I gave him information to get one honoring his friend," said Kevin, who resides in Enterprise, Ala. Keith's friend, a fellow Apache pilot had been killed in action, April 1, 2006. "I think we were both in agreement that the bracelet is a great way to honor the fallen."
Although Keith felt the bracelets were a relevant and significant way to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, those who knew him well felt he would have made fun of the idea of one being made for him, said Elkins.
"His personal opinion would be that he didn't deserve [to be memorialized], but he's touched every one of us," Elkins said. "It's the least we can do for somebody that gave the time that he's given to everyone of us."
Yoakum made a significant impact in every life he touched, said his usual co-pilot, Palisade, Col., native Chief Warrant Officer Brian Carbone, a pilot for the Avengers.
"Keith was my mentor, my teacher and my really good friend," Carbone said. "He was the hardest working man I ever saw, and his passion for the job and being a pilot and flying was contagious. It affected everyone around him."
Originally, Kevin made the bracelets for himself, his siblings, his parents and Keith's family. But he then decided to send the design to Keith's longtime friend Elkins.
The company who made the bracelets, provided Keith's wife and two daughter's their bracelets for free, said Kevin.
The bracelets, made of titanium, have the pilot's names and the date they gave their lives, along with an Apache helicopter on one side and crossed sabers on the other, said Robinson.
Once Elkins got the design, he spread the word throughout 1-227th and the 1st "Warrior" Air Cavalry Brigade and soon numerous orders were taken, Robinson said.
Kevin wanted anyone who knew and loved Keith to have the opportunity to wear the bracelet. It signifies the importance of never forgetting the sacrifices made by Soldiers in combat, he said.
"Our country wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't for people standing up and fighting for it," Carbone said. "All of us, even me, owe everything we enjoy to guys like that."
"He didn't have to come here. He had already been accepted to go fly for the Golden Knights [the Army's parachute team] which is obviously a cherry assignment for anybody to do," Robinson said. "But he turned it down. The reason he did was because he felt he was needed out here."
"Keith had told me that he needed to be there, that just having his Apache in the air over the guys on the ground made all the difference in the world," his brother said. "Someone has to be there to watch over those kids. He thought that protecting the ground guys was worth the risk."
Even though Soldiers wear the bracelets with solemn pride and respect, it still is a daily reminder of friends lost, partners forever gone ... mentors never to return, said Carbone.
"Some of the fondest memories I have of my life are flying with [Keith] out here. It was a great experience," said Carbone, choking back tears. "As far as the bracelets go, they look nice, but I hate looking at it. I wear it for [Yoakum and DeFrenn]. I wear it for them, because – even though it hurts to look at – it's a reminder of their friendship."
Yoakum and Defrenn are heroes to those who knew them. Although they are gone, they will not be forgotten, Elkins said.
"The issue of whether they're heroes or not – they are absolutely heroes," said Elkins. "[People] owe their freedom and the things they sometimes take for granted every day, to these two and those who passed before them. They were absolutely wonderful Americans."
"They lived extraordinary lives and the way that he died was no surprise, because that's just the kind of people both of these guys were," said Robinson. "You won't find finer people anywhere in the country. It's a shame that sometimes our country's best have to give it all to keep going what we have going, but they were ready to make that sacrifice."
The Avengers continue to fly 24-hour operations throughout Baghdad, providing critical combat support to coalition forces.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2007 09:28 |
| Story ID: | 10108 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 2,475 |
| Downloads: | 2,093 |
This work, Titanium bracelets a daily reminder of aviation heroes, by SGM Nathan Hoskins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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