Rolla, St. James communities mourn loss of 'wonderful role model' in Black Hawk crash

While his service took him across the globe, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith made an indelible mark on St. James, the town northeast of Rolla where Smith attended high school and where his parents and sister live.

Smith, 32, was among nine soldiers who died in a nighttime training accident on Wednesday. Smith joined the U.S. Army in 2012, where he was an instructor pilot for the 101st Airborne Division and served in Afghanistan and Germany. Another soldier from Missouri, Zachary Esparza, was also killed in the crash.

More: Two southern Missouri natives killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash

In a Facebook post, Smith's aunt AJ Morris called him "a true Missouri boy who loved to hunt, fish, walk the woods, and run the rivers."

"He could have lived a perfectly happy and content life at home, safe on a farm, in rural Missouri. But he had a big dream. He joined the Army with two goals," Morris wrote. "He wanted to serve his country and he wanted to fly the skies…..and he did."

The family, Morris wrote, is "crushed" by the sudden death, but "we couldn’t be more proud of the husband, father, and warrior (Smith) was and the choices he made in life."

Smith graduated from St. James High School in 2009. He played basketball during the 2007-2008 season, and his coach posted a team photo on Facebook Thursday.

"We lost a wonderful role model today," wrote Ben Smith, industrial arts teacher and head basketball coach at St. James High School, "and our hearts are heavy."

Among the comments on Ben Smith's post were numerous people remembering Rusten Smith as "a wonderful young man" and "the perfect example (of) a good human."

Smith is survived by his wife, Caroline, and their three children; his mother, Brenda, and father, Rad, both of St. James; his sister, Lena (Monty) Turner of St. James; his aunt, Audrey "AJ" (Rich) Morris of Waynesville; grandparents and extended family.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Rolla community remembers Rusten Smith as 'wonderful role model'