LITTLE CHUTE, WI, US
U.S. Army
SGT, CO B, 3D BN, 160TH SOAR, HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, GEORGIA
10/26/2009, DARREH-YE BUM, AFGHANISTAN
Army Staff Sergeant Nickolas A. Mueller died on October 26, 2009 of wounds suffered when the MH-47 helicopter he was aboard crashed in Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan. He assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. Six other servicemen were also killed in the crash. Their units were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sergeant Mueller was twenty-six years old.
Nikolas Mueller was a native of Little Chute, Wis., and volunteered for Army service in June 2004. Following basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and advanced individual training at Fort Eustis, Va., Nikolas served with the 2-52nd Aviation Battalion at Camp Humphries, South Korea. He was a skilled medium helicopter repairer technician. In 2007 he successfully assessed with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) and assigned to 3rd Bn., 160th SOAR (A), in Savannah, Georgia where he served as a flight engineer.
He was a combat veteran with three deployments, all in support of the Operation Enduring Freedom. His military training includes the Warrior Leader Course, Special Operations Training Course, and the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course. His awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Basic Aviation Badge.
The first confirmation about the crash was from Nikolas’s family in Little Chute, Wisconsin. His family confirmed he died in the crash a few days before the Department of Defense released information and the names of those lost. Nikolas’s mother noted that her son wanted to be a pilot even when he was a young boy. She said he joined the Army immediately after graduating from high school. This was his third deployment. She also noted that Nikolas was planning on coming home for Christmas that year, 2009. It would have been the first time in three years.
Nikolas Mueller is survived by his parents, Larry and Sharon Mueller, of Little Chute, Wisconsin. – NIGHT STALKERS DON’T QUIT –
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