Carter, David Rudolph
Male
Verified Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Rudolph Carter, 47, of Hays, Kansas, was a U.S. Army National Guard aviator. He was killed in a helicopter crash in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on August 6, 2011.
Their Story
David Rudolph Carter was a 47-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 4 from Hays, Kansas. He served with Detachment 1, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, part of the Colorado Army National Guard's 89th Troop Command based in Aurora.
On August 6, 2011, Carter was the pilot of a CH-47D Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, on a night mission in the Tangi Valley of Wardak province, west of Combat Outpost (COP) Sayed Abad. According to U.S. military reports, the helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Taliban insurgents and crashed, killing all 38 people on board.
Carter's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The incident took place during a period of intensified U.S. operations, known as the surge, which aimed to degrade insurgent capabilities before a planned drawdown of forces.
The crash of Extortion 17 resulted in the single greatest loss of American life in the Afghan war. The Department of Defense released the names of all service members killed. Carter was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.
He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Colorado State Capitol and by his unit. The 135th Aviation Regiment was later awarded the Valorous Unit Award for actions during its 2011 deployment.
Explore Further
David Carter was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
