'He always wanted to fly': Fort Campbell soldier remembered after Black Hawk crash

Kenya Anderson, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
Updated ·4 min read

Fort Campbell Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Dwyer Jr. died doing what he loved said a family friend.

Dwyer, 38, was one of five 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), or Night Stalkers, soldiers who died Nov. 10 when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down over the Mediterranean Sea during refueling training.

The Night Stalkers, originally created as Task Force 160, pioneered the Army's first nighttime flying techniques and "its capability to strike undetected during the hours of darkness and its unprecedented combat successes."

More: Fort Campbell servicemembers ID'd in fatal MH-60 Black Hawk crash over Mediterranean Sea

'Outstanding' person, student, soldier

During his service, Dwyer was deployed on two tours in the Middle East, participated in missions worldwide and received many awards, but family friends remember him as always wanting to fly.

Col. Chaplain Sonny Moore, a longtime family friend of the Dwyer family, remembered him as an "outstanding kid" who got to do what he loved.

Moore, now a county commissioner for Coffee County in Alabama, asked those in attendance at Monday's commission meeting in New Brockton to keep the family in their prayers.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, a 2004 graduate of Enterprise High School, was described as "ambitious and hard-working, excelling in advanced placement courses as well as the EHS JROTC program" by his high school.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, a 2004 graduate of Enterprise High School, was described as "ambitious and hard-working, excelling in advanced placement courses as well as the EHS JROTC program" by his high school.

"He was a great young man," Moore said. "We're certainly going to miss him, and I'm grateful that I knew him."

Growing up in the Army with a career officer dad, Dwyer traveled many places before graduating from Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama.

After his high school graduation, he attended West Point, New York where he became a Field Artillery Commissioned Officer for six years before becoming Warrant Officer and finishing flight school.

At prep school, Dwyer met John Plumstead. The two bonded liked brothers and went to West Point together.

When he heard the news of Dwyer's death, Plumstead said he was gutted.

"From prep school to West Point, to Fort Sill adventures, Steve was more than a friend," Plumstead said. "He was everyone's brother. A true warrior, he resigned his commission to become a warrant officer and helicopter pilot, joining the 160th."

For Plumstead, he will always remember Dwyer's laughter, jokes and wild stories he would share.

More: From California to Tennessee: What we know about 5 fallen soldiers in Black Hawk crash

Moore served as the chaplain who officiated the wedding of Dwyer and his wife, Allie and shared the couple has three boys, eventually settling in Clarksville.

"His dream was to fly helicopters, be in aviation like his daddy," Moore told The Leaf-Chronicle.

Which he did.

Dwyer's dream was fulfilled when he joined the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (Airborne) as an MH-60M pilot in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer (far right) participated in Enterprise High School's JROTC program. Following his high school graduation, he we to West Point, New York to begin his military career.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer (far right) participated in Enterprise High School's JROTC program. Following his high school graduation, he we to West Point, New York to begin his military career.

"I am so sorry for his family and the other soldiers' whose families are going through this," Moore said.

Friends on Facebook are remembering Dwyer as "a true warrior" and a guy who "could light up the room or any situation."

"As a student, Dwyer was ambitious and hard-working," Enterprise High School shared in a memorial post this week. "Excelling in advanced placement courses as well as the EHS JROTC program."

Happening the weekend of Veterans Day, a time we reflect and thank veterans for their sacrifices, Enterprise High School said the loss of Dwyer is "made even more poignant."

"He got to live out his dream of being an aviator, he went to Heaven doing what he wanted to do," Moore said.

5 soldiers named in helicopter crash

Four other SOAR soldiers who died during the training exercise were:

  • Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California

  • Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire

  • Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona

  • Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota

Col. Roger P. Waleski Jr., Commander of the 160th SOAR said the soldiers were "truly SOF [Special Operations Forces] professionals," calling them among the "nation’s finest soldiers."

"Their loss has left an indelible void within this Regiment that will never be filled,” Waleski said.

“These teammates demonstrated the highest level of dedication to the 160th SOAR and their exemplary service in the Army is the embodiment of what it means to be a Night Stalker and a Soldier. Our priority now is to ensure the Families of our fallen warriors receive our complete support as we work through this tragedy together.

"We ask that you keep Stephen, Shane, Tanner, Andrew, Cade, their Families, and fellow Night Stalkers in your thoughts and prayers.”

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Black Hawk crash: Clarksville soldier's passion for flying remembered