26 Sep 2005:
No. 973-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2005

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DoD Identifies Army Casualties
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.   They died southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan, on Sept. 25, when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed.

            Killed were:

Chief Warrant Officer John M. Flynn, 36, of Sparks, Nev. Flynn was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Stead, Nev.

Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, of Pendleton, Ore.   Stump was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Pendleton, Ore.

Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, of Pendleton, Ore.   Baum was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Pendleton, Ore.

Sgt. Kenneth G. Ross, 24, of Peoria, Ariz.   Ross was assigned to the Army's 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, Giebelstadt, Germany.

Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, 35, of Fernley, Nev.   Stewart was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Stead, Nev.

For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 692-2000.

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 9/28/2005
The last time Roberta Stewart of Fernley talked with her husband, Patrick, he teased her, refusing to describe the souvenirs he'd purchased at a bazaar in Afghanistan.

"He said I'd have to wait to see what they were," Roberta Stewart said Tuesday as she sat in her living room, surrounded by family and friends.

Shortly after the conversation with his wife, Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, 35, of the Nevada Army National Guard, died in the crash of a Chinook helicopter, part of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan.

"He called prior to loading the Chinook for the last flight," said Roberta Stewart, whose husband was a flight engineer aboard the helicopter. "He had just been to a bazaar picking up gifts."

It was Saturday in Northern Nevada, Sunday in Afghanistan, where Patrick Stewart's unit, Company D of the 113th Aviation Regiment headquartered at Reno Stead Airport, had been deployed since March.

"Our last words were, 'Be safe. I love you,' " Roberta Stewart said. "He said, 'I will.' "

Also killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer John M. Flynn, 36, of Spanish Springs, two Oregon residents in Company D and a sergeant from an Army aviation unit based in Germany. There were no survivors, officials said.

The deaths came three months after Spec. Anthony Cometa, 21, of Las Vegas, became the first Nevada Guard member killed in U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cometa, part of the Henderson-based 1864th Transportation Company, died in Iraq in June when his vehicle crashed while escorting a convoy about 10 miles from the Kuwait border.

The helicopter crash in Afghanistan took place southwest of Deh Chopan in southern Zabul province.

"My husband died doing what he loved most, flying," Roberta Stewart said. "I'm proud of my husband. He was an extraordinary man, husband and soldier."

The crash of the twin-rotor helicopter is under investigation.

Flynn was believed to have been piloting the helicopter when it crashed, his wife, Christine Flynn said. Patrick Stewart was the helicopter's chief engineer.

Army officials in Afghanistan said the crash was believed to be an accident. Militants claimed they shot down the Chinook.

The three others who died in the crash were Sgt. Kenneth G. Ross, 24, of Peoria, Ariz., and of the 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment based in Germany, and Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, and Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, both of Company D and Pendleton, Ore.

Funeral arrangements for Patrick Stewart and John Flynn are pending, said Air Force Capt. April Conway, spokeswoman for the Nevada Guard.

Roberta Stewart said there would be a "full military ceremony," for her husband after his body arrives in Reno, followed by a "private family" funeral.

"He loved to help people," Roberta Stewart said of her husband. "He had a pride in what he did."

The couple had been married for three years.

"My husband was one of the few people who could keep me laughing at all times," Roberta Stewart said.

Patrick and Roberta Stewart grew up in Reno.

Patrick Stewart, who attended Wooster High School and graduated from Washoe High, was an 11-year veteran of the Army, Army Reserve and Guard. He served in Operation Desert Storm.

"I think he had an attitude that was very positive," said Steve Stewart, Patrick's father. "He was very supportive of his (Army) team and expressed that a lot."

Patrick and Roberta Stewart moved from Reno to Fernley shortly before Patrick Stewart deployed with Company D.

03 Sep 2005
   Weather is cooling down. Spirits are up. We've reached the 6 month mark and most have already been home on leave and can't wait to go home for good. Only Sgt Reed in our room has been home, the rest of us go home around November.

   What a horrible time for the southern U.S.. I have numerous friends that live mostly in Louisiana and Mississippi and all suffered a total loss of house and home, which leads to me to tell you that they are in worse shape than us and i would like to see any packages meant for my crew shipped to the south to help out the storm victims.

   I will stay an active member and will send monthly updates but wish to see the victims of the storm helped first. God bless you all and good luck.

   Sgt Patrick D. Stewart and the gang

20 Jul 2005
I am requesting items for myself and 3 other roommates. We have a microwave & a refrigerator in our room. 3 soldiers are from Nevada and 1 is from Washington. We fly the Chinook helicopters and we love what we do. We range in ages from 25 to 51. We will send unit pictures on a monthly basis of all 4 crew members on the job! We are National Guard soldiers on Active Duty. 2 of us are full time technicians on Chinooks 1 is a school bus driver and the other is a prison security guard. We all have different tastes so the following is a compilation of requests from all 4 soldiers:
   cookies (all kinds), caramel & cheese popcorn, jalepeno cheese dip, jerky, coffee, salami, summer sausage, crackers, body wash, dandruff shampoo, peanut m&m's, western books, books on the history of Afghanistan, pop tarts, smoked oysters, beef sticks, hot chocolate mix with marshmallows, Red Vines licorice, magazines (National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, Explorer, etc.) Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Gatorade drink mix, blank cd's, unwanted dvd's and letters for some possible pen pals.
   thank you very much. we don't really need these things to survive but it sure would make life a little better.