NAPLES, FL, USA U.S. Army SPC, COMPANY B, 2D BATTALION, 160TH AVIATION, FORT CAMPBELL, KY QALAT, AFGHANISTAN 02/18/2007
Specialist Brandon D. Gordon, 21, and seven other soldiers died Feb. 18, 2007 when the Chinook helicopter they were in crashed after reporting an unexplained loss of power and engine failure in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province in southeastern Afghanistan.Brandon, who attended Lely High School in Naples, FL for his freshman and sophomore years, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky. He joined the Army in October 2003 as a Chinook helicopter repairer, the Department of Defense said in a news release.The military said the Chinook was carrying 22 U.S. service members when it crashed about 50 yards from the main highway between Kabul and Kandahar.
Brandon completed initial training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and advanced individual training at Fort Eustis, Va. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Camp Humphries, South Korea. He arrived at the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in May 2005 and completed the regiment’s “Green Platoon” course, an initial selection and training requirement prior to an initial selection and training requirement prior to assignment.He then went on to serve as a helicopter maintenance team member and crewmember, the news release said.His awards and decorations include the Air Medal for Valor, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Action badge and Aviation Crewmember badge. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.He is survived by his father, Gene Gordon; mother, Terri Gordon; and brothers Bryan, Bradley and Cole, who live in Naples.
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