Lehigh County soldier killed in Iraq helicopter crash
The Associated Press
An Army officer from western Lehigh County was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.
Capt. Mark T. Resh, 28, of Lowhill Township, was one of two soldiers killed when the chopper crashed in Najaf, Iraq, on Sunday. Also killed was Chief Warrant Office Cornell C. Chao, 36, of California. The crash was under investigation.
Mobile News | Subscribe Online | Order Reprints
Lehigh Valley Local Links
Resh is a 1996 graduate of Northwestern Lehigh High School and was one of that year's U.S. Army Reserve Scholar-Athlete award winners. He had been captain of the varsity soccer team and a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council and Math Club.
Resh and Chao were serving as pilots with the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.
Resh's father, Charles T. Resh, said his son graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and had been in ROTC, then went into the Army in 2001. He was deployed to Iraq in September.
Resh recalled his son as an easygoing guy who was focused and never got angry at anyone.
"He got what he wanted. He liked being an Apache helicopter pilot. He wanted that," his father said. The military had not told him whether his son was piloting the helicopter when it crashed, he said.
Jim Kellerman, a scoutmaster for Resh's Boy Scout troop, said Resh earned an Eagle Scout rank in 1995 and numerous other scouting awards and merit badges.
Rech did landscaping at the Lowhill Township Building along Route 100 for his Eagle Project.
"I remember him as a quiet but enthusiastic leader in the troop," Kellerman said. "It is no surprise that he was serving his country just as he supported his community in scouting."
Search
Report Abuse
My Capsule