Tuesday, February 20, 2007
IN BRADLEY BEACH: Pilot spent summers at the Shore
ACCIDENT: Deadliest incident of the year in Afghanistan
Soldier dies in copter crash
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/20/07
BY KEITH BROWNCOASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU Post Comment
BRADLEY BEACH — Army Warrant Officer John A. Quinlan, whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan Sunday, may have grown up in Maryland, but it was Bradley Beach that he called home.
Quinlan, one of 22 service members aboard the C-47 Chinook helicopter, was one week shy of his 37th birthday when the helicopter crashed Monday in the southeastern region of Afghanistan, killing him.
The crash killed eight military personnel in all and marks the deadliest single incident this year for the 47,000 U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Fourteen survived.
Officials on Monday were quick to say the helicopter was not shot down, that the pilot had reported engine problems just before the crash.
That pilot was Quinlan.
"He was the lead pilot," Robert J. Quinlan said of his son Monday. "He was what they call the "pilot in command.' "
The Quinlan family hails from Baltimore, but after spending every summer in Bradley Beach since 1984, the family eventually turned their Monmouth Avenue summer home into their permanent residence.
"He always called this home," the elder Quinlan, 68, said. "It was the only home we kept."
Robert Quinlan, a retired Army major, said he never pushed his son to pursue a military career and was shocked to find out John had joined the Marines, after graduating high school in Maryland in 1987.
"My attitude at the time was, "If this is what you want — go for it,' " Robert Quinlan said.
John Quinlan's military career spans 18 years, with stints in both Iraq wars, a tour in Somolia and multiple tours in Afghanistan, with an elite military unit.
Quinlan left the Marines after 10 years when he was commissioned as an Army warrant officer, training as a helicopter pilot.
He eventually joined the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, nicknamed the "night stalkers." The regiment's missions include attack, assault and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night and in secret.
"I never pushed," Robert Quinlan said. "He fell right in. He was right off and running. He signed up for four years, and then four more."
Susan M. Ripke, John Quinlan's sister, said the dangerous military life simply fit her big brother.
"He was never going to be the kind of guy who was stuck at a desk," Ripke, of Seymour, Conn., said. "He always had to go, go, go. He had a personality that just took over a room. He was just a big, Irish guy."
Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, John Quinlan could only fly Chinook helicopters, his father said. They were the only ones with enough headroom.
"I always said he was the only man I look up to," said Robert Quinlan, who is just two inches shorter than his son.
John Quinlan made his home in Clarksville, Tenn., with his wife, Julie, and the couple's three daughters — Keely, 10, Maddy, 8, and Erin, 3.
The helicopter had a "sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. David Accetta said. The military did not release details of the crash or the helicopter's mission, but said the crash is under investigation.
A memorial service is planned for today at Fort Campbell, Ky., where Quinlan's regiment is stationed. He will be buried next week in Arlington National Cemetery, with a local memorial to be scheduled later.
"We're doing the best we can do," said John's mother, Kathleen Quinlan, 62. "We know and have the faith that we will pull the pieces back together somewhere down the road."
ACCIDENT: Deadliest incident of the year in Afghanistan
Soldier dies in copter crash
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/20/07
BY KEITH BROWNCOASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU Post Comment
BRADLEY BEACH — Army Warrant Officer John A. Quinlan, whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan Sunday, may have grown up in Maryland, but it was Bradley Beach that he called home.
Quinlan, one of 22 service members aboard the C-47 Chinook helicopter, was one week shy of his 37th birthday when the helicopter crashed Monday in the southeastern region of Afghanistan, killing him.
The crash killed eight military personnel in all and marks the deadliest single incident this year for the 47,000 U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Fourteen survived.
Officials on Monday were quick to say the helicopter was not shot down, that the pilot had reported engine problems just before the crash.
That pilot was Quinlan.
"He was the lead pilot," Robert J. Quinlan said of his son Monday. "He was what they call the "pilot in command.' "
The Quinlan family hails from Baltimore, but after spending every summer in Bradley Beach since 1984, the family eventually turned their Monmouth Avenue summer home into their permanent residence.
"He always called this home," the elder Quinlan, 68, said. "It was the only home we kept."
Robert Quinlan, a retired Army major, said he never pushed his son to pursue a military career and was shocked to find out John had joined the Marines, after graduating high school in Maryland in 1987.
"My attitude at the time was, "If this is what you want — go for it,' " Robert Quinlan said.
John Quinlan's military career spans 18 years, with stints in both Iraq wars, a tour in Somolia and multiple tours in Afghanistan, with an elite military unit.
Quinlan left the Marines after 10 years when he was commissioned as an Army warrant officer, training as a helicopter pilot.
He eventually joined the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, nicknamed the "night stalkers." The regiment's missions include attack, assault and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night and in secret.
"I never pushed," Robert Quinlan said. "He fell right in. He was right off and running. He signed up for four years, and then four more."
Susan M. Ripke, John Quinlan's sister, said the dangerous military life simply fit her big brother.
"He was never going to be the kind of guy who was stuck at a desk," Ripke, of Seymour, Conn., said. "He always had to go, go, go. He had a personality that just took over a room. He was just a big, Irish guy."
Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, John Quinlan could only fly Chinook helicopters, his father said. They were the only ones with enough headroom.
"I always said he was the only man I look up to," said Robert Quinlan, who is just two inches shorter than his son.
John Quinlan made his home in Clarksville, Tenn., with his wife, Julie, and the couple's three daughters — Keely, 10, Maddy, 8, and Erin, 3.
The helicopter had a "sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. David Accetta said. The military did not release details of the crash or the helicopter's mission, but said the crash is under investigation.
A memorial service is planned for today at Fort Campbell, Ky., where Quinlan's regiment is stationed. He will be buried next week in Arlington National Cemetery, with a local memorial to be scheduled later.
"We're doing the best we can do," said John's mother, Kathleen Quinlan, 62. "We know and have the faith that we will pull the pieces back together somewhere down the road."
