Goodnature, Corey James
Male
Verified Chief Warrant Officer 3 Corey James Goodnature, 35, of Watertown, South Dakota, was a U.S. Army helicopter pilot killed in a hostile incident near Asadabad, Afghanistan, on June 28, 2005.
Their Story
Corey James Goodnature was a Chief Warrant Officer 3 in the United States Army. He was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), based at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. The 160th SOAR, known as the 'Night Stalkers,' provides aviation support for special operations forces.
On June 28, 2005, Goodnature was the pilot of an MH-47D Chinook helicopter on a mission to insert a team of U.S. Navy SEALs in the mountains of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, near the city of Asadabad. The helicopter, call sign Turbine 33, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade while attempting to land in a hostile area. The aircraft crashed, killing all 16 personnel on board. The mission was part of Operation Red Wings, an effort to locate and capture a senior Taliban commander.
Goodnature died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The operation's stated objectives were to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime from power. By 2005, the conflict had evolved into a protracted counterinsurgency.
The incident, which resulted in the single largest loss of life for U.S. forces in Afghanistan up to that point, was widely reported. A memorial service was held at Hunter Army Airfield. Goodnature was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with Valor device for his actions.
Goodnature is remembered by his unit and is listed on the 160th SOAR Memorial Wall at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His name is inscribed on the South Dakota Veterans Memorial in Pierre and is included on the Afghanistan campaign memorials at the Army Aviation Museum.
Explore Further
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Corey Goodnature 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.
