Pickett David Henry

Name:

David Henry Pickett

Rank:

Lieutenant Colonel

Serial Number:

Unit:

United States Army

Date of Death:

1991-01-02

State:

Vermont

Cemetery:

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia

Plot:

Section 59

Row:

Grave:

350

Decoration:

LOM w/OLC, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, POW, MSM w/2OLC, Air Medal w/OLC, Joint Svc Comm Medal, ARCOM, ND Svc Medal, AF Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Svc Medal, Army Svc Medal, Overseas Svc Ribbon

Comments:

Lt. Col. David Pickett was the first commander of the 4th Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, a subordinate unit of the 128th Aviation Brigade (Headquartered in Panama) and based at Soto Cano Airbase in Honduras. The unit provided regional aviation support to Joint Task Force-Bravo and support to the US Military Advisory Group in El Salvador.

On 2 January 1991, Lt. Col. Pickett was the copilot on a UH-1H helicopter flight, with pilot in command CW4 Daniel Scott and crew chief PFC Earnest Dawson, on a routine mission from Honduras to transport the new B Company commander to San Salvador, El Salvador. This was Pickett's last flight to El Salvador before his change of command, with a purpose to visit with U.S. Ambassador William Walker and Col. Mark Hamilton, the new commander of the US Military Advisory Group, at the American Embassy. Later that day, shortly after departing Ilopango Airbase at 1:30 pm for Honduras, rebel forces of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) shot down the aircraft with small arms fire north of Lolotique, a small town about 75 miles east of San Salvador. After the aircraft engine was hit and lost power, CW4 Scott on the controls managed to landed the aircraft in a controlled crash, but was killed by the impact forces with injuries to his neck and chest. PFC Dawson, seated on the left side of the aircraft behind CW4 Scott, was knocked unconscious in the crash, while LTC Pickett was badly dazed by the impact. The rebels removed Pickett and the unconscious Dawson from the still intact, but damaged aircraft. Shortly afterwards, both crew members were executed, Dawson shot once by pistol fire to the head, and Pickett by multiple small arms rifle fire to the head and arms.

Lt. Col. Pickett was two weeks from changing command and left a wife and three children at his death. The Army posthumously awarded Pickett the Purple Heart, the Prisoner of War and Armed Forces Expeditionary medals.

On Jan. 16, Camp Blackjack was renamed Camp Pickett in honor of Lt. Col. Pickett, the first 4-228th Aviation Regiment commander; and the small camp gym was named Dawson Gym after Spec. Dawson. Camp Pickett and Dawson Gym remained so until all of the aviation assets and personnel were relocated to the JTF-Bravo cantonment area in 1995.