A career soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 4th Class Erik A. Halvorsen, 40, of Bennington, Vermont, an Army pilot stationed with the 3^rd Army Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, was killed on April 2, 2003 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was flying crashed near the city of Karbala in Iraq.

According to the soldier’s mother, Dorothy Halvorsen of Bennington, her son joined the Army after earning a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering at the University of Hartford in 1986. By the time he deployed to Iraq the officer was no stranger to serving his country in dangerous places. In addition to serving in Korea, he also served in Bosnia and in Operation Desert Storm.

However, his mother said she knew her son’s last assignment, the one that sent him to Iraq, was different from all the previous assignments. He was headed into some extremely dangerous territory.

“Erik was my only son, and was a career soldier,” she said.  “He left the military once to try out commercial piloting, but he didn't like it.  He also went through OCS and became a commissioned officer.  He seemed most happy with his friends in the Warrant Officer group.  He loved flying and died doing what he loved.  
           

His death leaves a big hole in the hearts of his parents, and three sisters. The officer didn’t have any children.