Cole, Brent Scott

Brent Scott Cole was a 38-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 4 from Reedsville, West Virginia. He served as a helicopter pilot with Company C, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His military service included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.

On May 22, 2009, Cole was piloting an AH-64D Apache attack helicopter on a mission in Uruzgan Province. The aircraft crashed near Tarin Kowt, the provincial capital. The U.S. Department of Defense announced that both pilots on board were killed. The incident was under investigation, with initial reports not indicating enemy fire as the cause.

Cole's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The mission aimed to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power following the September 11 attacks. By 2009, the conflict had evolved into a protracted counterinsurgency and nation-building effort, with U.S. and NATO forces engaged across the country.

Following his death, the Department of Defense formally notified his family. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. His remains were returned to the United States for burial.

Cole is remembered by his unit and community as a dedicated soldier and pilot. His name is inscribed on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial and is included in the Pentagon's official casualty lists for the Afghanistan war.

CW4 Brent Scott Cole 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.

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