Photo By Kelly Morris | The Aviation Center of Excellence awards the Soldier's Medal to Capt. Gabriel A....... read more read more
Two Aviation Center of Excellence Soldiers received the Soldier’s Medal during a ceremony at Fort Rucker, Ala., Sept. 30.
Capt. Gabriel A. Coppinger, who commands Company B, 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Shane T. Hawkins, who serves as an instructor pilot at 1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment, received the award presented by Brig. Gen. Kenneth C. Cole, Aviation Center of Excellence deputy commanding general.
The aviators disregarded their own safety and attempted to rescue fellow Soldiers during a multi-ship aviation mishap in Alaska in April of 2023 that sadly resulted in loss of life of three aircrew members.
The narrator explained that Coppinger and Hawkins “quickly and without hesitation put themselves back in danger after a helicopter crash to render aid to severely injured Soldiers and coordinate the chaotic scene until the air medevac arrived. They risked their own safety in an attempt to save the lives of their fellow aviators.”
The Soldier’s Medal is the highest peacetime award for an act of heroism in a noncombat situation that the Secretary of the Army can bestow upon a Soldier and is seventh highest in order of precedence.
The medal goes beyond acts of a good Samaritan or saving a life. It is awarded to service members for acts of heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy, that involve personal hazard or danger and voluntarily risking their own lives. The minimum degree of heroism required is comparable to that of the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism.
In the ceremony’s invocation, 110th Aviation Brigade Chaplain (Capt.) Travis Wilson noted the Soldiers wanted the ceremony’s opening prayer to be for comfort and blessings for the families of the Soldiers who perished during the incident.
Cole said the Soldier’s Medal is a “precious recognition…of heroism not under fire from an armed enemy,” and fewer than 300 Soldiers in the Army today wear the medal.
Cole noted how Coppinger and Hawkins exemplified the Army Values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage.
“Selfless service is easy to discuss, but harder to live. What does it look like on an impossible day, under impossible conditions?” Cole said. “It’s about putting the welfare of the nation, the Army and others before your own. The building block of selfless service is the loyalty and commitment, that each team member go a little further, endure a little longer…. As you hear some stories here in a couple minutes, you will hear those values epitomized.”
“Both of your actions embody the character that defines what it means to be an American Soldier and an American Army aviator. I am in awe of you both. Gentlemen, thank you for your service, valor and bravery. Thank you for your willingness to sacrifice for others,” Cole said.
Cole also noted that information about the Aviation Warfighter Culture was released in publications this month.
“Most critical, as we train our next generation, is developing and educating our soldiers on the character traits of the aviation warfighter and those are similar to the Army Values, but even more refined for Army aviators,” Cole said.
Coppinger thanked attendees for their support, as he spoke on behalf of the award recipients.
“This day is not just about recognition, it is a symbol of the journey many of us have endured these past two years. It represents the courage, the pain, and the resilience of those who lived through that day and those we will forever carry in our hearts,” Coppinger said.
He said they will always carry the grief of that day with them. “Yet in that grief, we have grown a deeper resilience, a stronger bond, and a renewed sense of purpose in how we live and how we serve,” he said.
Coppinger said, “I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to recognize the aviators we lost that day. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Eramo, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle McKenna, and my copilot that day, Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Wayment. I am honored to have served alongside each of you. Blue skies and tail winds. Your memory will forever guide my service.”
He lauded the heroism on display that day.
“Six Soldiers flying in three separate aircraft landed without hesitation in the aftermath of the mishap. Without regard for their own safety, each of them quite literally ran directly into harm’s way,” Coppinger said.
“If not for their selfless actions, I don’t know that I would be standing before you today.”
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2025 15:41 |
| Story ID: | 551350 |
| Location: | FORT RUCKER, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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