Peter C Bohler - OurWarHeroes.org - Tribute sites by Q Madp

Peter C Bohler

Willow Spring, North Carolina

December 17, 2013

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Army

Sgt

3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division

Fort Riley, Kansas

Died in Now Bahar, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered as a result of a helicopter crash. The incident is pending investigation.

From WIBW wibw.com 12/20/13:

Fort Riley Soldiers Remember 5 Killed In Helicopter Crash In Afghanistan

Updated: Fri 9:16 PM, Dec 20, 2013
By: WIBW (Kion Hudson)

Five of the six Americans killed in a helicopter crash on Monday have been identified as soldiers from Fort Riley. All five of them were all members of the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Combat Aviation Brigade.

A statement from Fort Riley on Wednesday identified the victims as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy Billings, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua B. Silverman, Sgt. 1st Class Omar W. Forde, Sgt. Peter C. Bohler, and Spc. Terry K.D. Gordon. (more information listed below)

Staff Sgt Jesse Williams of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, was also killed in the crash.

"It's very sad. I mean, it's during the holidays. You hate to hear fellow brothers or sisters falling in the line of duty," said Sgt Carlos Valez.

"We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Families and friends of these 'Big Red One' Soldiers," Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general, said.

"We stand ready to support them and I urge our community and the nation, while remembering their sacrifices this holiday season, to do the same."

Seven people were aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk, which was one of two American helicopters on a daytime mission in southern Afghanistan, when it crashed.

"They served the country right. They did what they had to do and it's sad we can't see them come home and celebrate with them," said Sgt. Patrick Yekaldo.

Officials said they are not sure what cause the helicopter to go down, but those who were aboard the second chopper said they saw no signs of enemy fire.

There were initial reports that the crew of the downed aircraft came under fire as they tried to flee from the copter, but those reports have not been confirmed

Enemy fire caused Black Hawk crash that killed 6 soldiers

Staff report

Enemy fire caused the helicopter crash that killed six soldiers in Afghanistan in December, officials said today.

Five soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., and one based in Europe were killed Dec. 17 when their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed in Zabul in southern Afghanistan. A seventh soldier survived the crash.

The deaths make the crash one of the worst casualty incidents in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars.

“The families of the soldiers killed in the Dec. 17 helicopter crash have been notified that enemy action caused the crash and loss of life,” a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force wrote in an email to Army Times. “Although the investigation is not yet complete, we informed the families at this time out of respect so they know how their loved ones died. The investigation is ongoing and more details will be provided when the investigation is complete.”

Among the Fort Riley soldiers killed in the crash were:

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy L. Billings, 34, of Heavener, Okla.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua B. Silverman, 35, of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sgt. Peter C. Bohler, 29, of Willow Spring, N.C.
hey were assigned to 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.

The other two Fort Riley soldiers killed were:

Spc. Terry K.D. Gordon, 22, of Shubuta, Miss., who was assigned to 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.
Sgt. 1st Class Omar W. Forde, 28, of Marietta, Ga., assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.
A sixth soldier, based in Vilseck, Germany, was identified as Staff Sgt. Jesse L. Williams, 30, of Elkhart, Ind. Williams was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Regimental Support Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

The fallen soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division were honored Jan. 9 during a memorial service at Fort Riley.

The 1st Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade sent about 2,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in August for a nine-month deployment, replacing the 3rd Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade. According to a brigade news release in September, the soldiers are responsible for providing air support over a mountainous and desert region roughly the size of Montana.

From ABC 13 News Now 13newsnow.com 12/19/13

North Carolina soldier killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
Staff, 13News Now 9:12 p.m. EST December 19, 2013

UPDATE DEC. 19: The Department of Defense confirmed one of the soldiers killed Tuesday when a helicopter crashed in Afghanistan was 29-year-old Sgt. Peter C. Bohler of Willow Spring, North Carolina.

Bohler was assigned to the 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Also killed were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy L. Billings of Okla., Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua B. Silverman of Ariz., Sgt. 1st Class Omar W. Forde of Ga., Staff Sgt. Jesse L. Williams of Ind. and Spc. Terry K. D. Gordon of Miss.

WASHINGTON (AP) Six U.S. service members were killed Tuesday when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, U.S. and NATO officials said.

One person on board the Black Hawk UH-60 was injured and survived, two U.S. defense officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record. The aircraft was an Army helicopter from an Army unit, but officials have not yet confirmed the identities nor the service branches of the individuals, a third official said.

A statement issued by the NATO international military coalition said the crash was under investigation and that there was no insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash.

In Washington, an official originally said the helicopter had experienced engine failure before the crash, but later said that it was unclear whether that was the case. According to initial reports, the troops had mechanical problems, came under fire after the crash and it was unclear whether any of the casualties were the result of enemy fire.

The deputy governor of southern Zabul province, Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, said a NATO helicopter crashed in the remote district of Shajau and U.S. officials later confirmed that Zabul was the location of the U.S. crash.

This year, 109 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan, out of a total of 139 members of the coalition.

The death toll has dropped significantly since the coalition handed over responsibility for security to Afghan forces last summer and coalition troops are now training and assisting.

By comparison, 394 foreign troops died last year, including 297 Americans.

___

Associated Press writers Patrick Quinn in Kabul, Mirwais Khan in Kandahar and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.