Flynn, John Michael

John Michael Flynn was a 36-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 3 from Sparks, Nevada. He served as a helicopter pilot with Company D, 113th Aviation Regiment, a Nevada Army National Guard unit based in Reno that was deployed as part of Task Force Griffin. Flynn had previously deployed to the Philippines and the Horn of Africa before his assignment to Afghanistan.

On September 25, 2005, Flynn was piloting a CH-47D Chinook helicopter on a mission in Zabul province, southern Afghanistan. The aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain near the village of North Deh Chopan. According to U.S. military reports, the helicopter was believed to have been shot down by enemy ground fire. All five U.S. service members on board were killed.

Flynn's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In late 2005, operations in southern provinces like Zabul involved counter-insurgency missions against Taliban and other militant forces. U.S. and coalition forces relied heavily on rotary-wing aircraft for transport and support in the region's rugged terrain.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced the casualties on September 26, 2005. Flynn's remains were returned to the United States. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal, among other decorations.

Flynn is memorialized on the Nevada Veterans Memorial in Sparks and on the National Guard Memorial in Washington, D.C. His name is inscribed on Panel 2E, Row 11 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum.

John Michael Flynn 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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