Hershel Daniel McCants Jr.

Hershel Daniel McCants Jr.
Born(1973-04-02)April 2, 1973
Medford, Oregon, U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 2007(2007-02-18) (aged 33)
Zabul Province, Afghanistan
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
Service years1991–2007
RankChief Warrant Officer 3
Unit160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) 1st Special Forces Group
ConflictsOperation Enduring Freedom
AwardsMeritorious Service Medal (posthumous) Air Medal (posthumous) Army Commendation Medal (2) Army Achievement Medal (4) Joint Meritorious Unit Award Army Good Conduct Medal (2) National Defense Service Medal (2) Afghanistan Campaign Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal (2)

Hershel Daniel McCants Jr. (April 2, 1973 – February 18, 2007) was an American soldier in the United States Army and special operations helicopter pilot. A veteran of the 1st Special Forces Group and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, he was killed in action in 2007 during Operation Enduring Freedom when a MH-47E Chinook helicopter that he was co-piloting crashed due to a sudden power loss in Zabul province, Afghanistan.[1] He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and Meritorious Service Medal (United States).[2]

Early life and family

McCants was born to Goldie Murphy and Hershel D. McCants Sr. on April 2, 1973, in Medford, Oregon. He spent his early life in the Pacific Northwest. His family recalled that he always brought rope and a first-aid kit to family outings on the Oregon sand dunes.[3] He attended Eisenhower Middle School and Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[4] At the time of his death, he was married and had two children.[5]

Military career

McCants enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 1991. He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Following an initial assignment as a Combat Engineer at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he attended the Special Forces Qualification Course. Upon graduation, he served as an Engineer Sergeant with the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, Washington.[5][6]

In 2000, McCants was accepted into the U.S. Army Warrant Officer program. He graduated in 2001 and completed training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.[5] After qualifying on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, he served as a Tactical Operations Officer and Aeromedical Evacuation pilot with the 54th Medical Company, 62nd Medical Brigade, at Fort Lewis.[7]

In 2005, McCants successfully assessed for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the "Night Stalkers." After completing the unit's training, he was assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. There, he served as a pilot for the MH-47E Chinook.[7] He was promoted to chief warrant officer in 2006.[8]

Death

On February 18, 2007, McCants was co-piloting an MH-47E Chinook during Operation Enduring Freedom.[1] The aircraft was transit flying from Kandahar to Bagram Airfield at an altitude of approximately 300 feet when it experienced and radioed a sudden, unexplained loss of power and engine failure.[9][10] Reports indicate the aircraft impacted the ground aft-end first, then bounced on its nose causing the transmission assembly to collapse forward.[9] The crash occurred roughly 50 yards from the Kabul-Kandahar highway.[9] The crash resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. service members and injured 14 others.[11]

McCants' funeral and memorial service was held in Clarksville, Tennessee.[2] His funeral was held at Arlington National Cemetery, attended by family members, friends, and fellow service members. The ceremony included military honors in recognition of his service with the U.S. Army.[12] He was interred at Arlington, section 60, following the service.[1][13] As of 2009, he was among 14 soldiers from Arizona who have been interred at Arlington since 2003.[14]

Legacy

After his death, his mother became the President of American Gold Star Mothers, Arizona Chapter. In 2010, she advocated for the national recognition of fallen service members through memorial and legislative initiatives. She organized a national project to place wreaths on soldiers' graves annually each December. She also led advocacy for House Resolution 1034, which sought to establish the Honor and Remember Flag as an official national symbol for those killed in military service.[15][16] In 2022, she participated in a news story event around Memorial Day and Gold Star families.[17] After Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011, his mother told the The Arizona Republic: "They do care. They haven't forgotten. They support our troops and those who paid the ultimate price."[18]

McCants is a part of the memorial wall for the Green Beret Foundation[7] and the Special Forces Foundation.[19] Joint Base Lewis-McChord's McCants Hangar was dedicated in his honor.[5][20]

Military awards and decorations

Front of Air Medal

References

  1. ^ a b c "Comrade Recalls Flier as 'Rock Steady'". The Washington Post. 2007-03-14. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  2. ^ a b "CW3 Hershel Daniel McCants Jr". The Leaf-Chronicle at Newspapers.com. Feb 26, 2007. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  3. ^ "Army Chief Warrant Officer Hershel McCants Jr". The Charlotte Observer at Newspapers.com. Mar 23, 2007. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  4. ^ "2 Soldiers Killed With N.M. Ties Killed". Albuquerque Journal at Newspapers.com™. Feb 22, 2007. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  5. ^ a b c d "Chief Warrant Officer Three Hershel D. "Dan" McCants, Jr" (PDF). Night Stalker Association.
  6. ^ "ARSOF Fallen: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Hershel D. McCants, Jr". arsof-history.org. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  7. ^ a b c "Hershel D. McCants". Green Beret Foundation. 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  8. ^ "Afghan crash kills Arizona GI". The Arizona Republic at Newspapers.com™. Feb 21, 2007. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  9. ^ a b c "Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Hershel D. McCants Jr.| Military Times". thefallen.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  10. ^ "8 U.S. Troops Killed In Afghan Crash - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  11. ^ "Helicopter Crash Kills 8 Soldiers in Afghanistan - New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  12. ^ "Army Funeral". Albany Democrat-Herald at Newspapers.com™. Mar 14, 2007. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  13. ^ "A Child's Tears". Star Tribune at Newspapers.com. Mar 14, 2007. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  14. ^ Perkins, E.J. (May 24, 2009). "Saluting 14 Arizonans with 'Humble Gratitude'". The Arizona Republic at Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  15. ^ Dryer, Carolyn (2010-05-05). "Soldiers receive Silver Star medals". The Glendale Star. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  16. ^ "Gold Star Family Registry: CW3 HERSHEL DANIEL MCCANTS JR". goldstarfamilyregistry.com. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  17. ^ Blandin, Venton (2022-05-28). "Gold Star Mothers share their stories ahead of Memorial Day". ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix (KNXV). Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  18. ^ Craven, Scott; Ruelas, Richard. "Feelings of Justice, Sorrow for GIs lost". The Arizona Republic at Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  19. ^ "Hershel D. McCants Jr. | THE SPECIAL FORCES FOUNDATION". specialforcesfoundation.org. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  20. ^ "Lewis hangar named after spec ops aviator" (PDF). Warrant Officer History. September 24, 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.