Loss of a Friend

I do not often share the words of my husband here in the journal, but this letter that he wrote to all of us so moved me, I felt this tribute to his friend and colleague deserved wider readership.  Please say a prayer for the surviving family members of this brave aviator.

 

Dear Family;  

 I have delayed writing this letter for a few days because I wasn't sure I could do justice to the loss I feel over the death of a friend and colleague, CW3 Rex Kenyon.   Rex was one of the Troop Instructor Pilots at 1-6 Cavalry (Korea) when I was the Squadron Standardization IP.  He was part of a group of truly exceptional instructor pilots that I had the distinct pleasure of supervising. 

Rex was a quiet professional on the job and a practical joker off the job.  He was particularly fond of making MRE "bombs" which he would place outside the door of new arrivals on their first night in country.  Many "newbies" were startled in the night by the loud (although relatively weak) explosion against their door.  

 Rex often reminded me of actor/director Ron Howard (prior to Mr Howard loosing his hair), because he too had red hair and pale skin that made him appear much younger.  

While in Korea Rex went through a very heartbreaking divorce made all the more difficult by the remoteness of our assignment in Korea.  But like the true professional he was, he never let it affect his duties.  

 Rex was the pilot-in-command of the Apache that was recently shot down in Iraq.  

Rex had just remarried before deploying to Iraq.  

Whenever an Army aircraft goes down, every pilot in every other Army Aviation unit holds their collective breath to hear the names of the pilots we have lost; hoping that we will not recognize any of them.  Somehow it makes it less real.  Although I was stunned and shocked to hear Rex's name, it was far worse to see it in print in the Stars and Stripes newspaper.  I guess when it was still just word-of-mouth information, it could still be wrong.  But it wasn't.  

I, and many others, will deeply miss Rex.