Injured Apache pilot returns to fight in southern Afghanistan

by Sgt. Meagan Young
82nd CAB, 82nd Abn. Div., TF-Wolfpack PAO

	photo by by Sgt. Meagan Young/82nd CAB, 82nd Abn. Div., TF-Wolfpack PAO Captain Aaron Shilleci, right, an Apache Attack Helicopter company commander, sees Cpt. Joshua Bowns off on his first flight since arriving back to Afghanistan after crashing in an Apache helicopter there in May 2009.

URUZGAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan —“I left with a void,” said Capt. Joshua Bowns when asked why he fought to return to Afghanistan. Just nine months before, Bowns, an AH-64 Apache helicopter pilot, crashed on the outskirts of a small village in southern Afghanistan.
What started as a typical escort mission changed Bowns’ life forever.

On May 22, 2009, Bowns and his co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Brent Cole, left their base to provide security for two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters transferring personnel to a smaller base. Before reaching their destination the two pilots encountered an aircraft emergency. They were going down and going down fast.  Both pilots did everything in their power to land safely but nothing would keep the helicopter from hitting hard. Slamming against the side of the helicopter, the taste of blood unmistakable, Bowns had to act quickly. His helicopter reeled on its side.  Grasping the battered frame of his Apache, he pulled himself from the front seat and crawled to give assistance to his co-pilot.

Meanwhile, one of the Blackhawks landed 200 meters away and a young crew chief, Spc. Eric Beaulaurier, rushed from his aircraft to assist Bowns. Even though he was suffering a severe head injury and almost mangled right leg, Bowns ordered Beaulaurier to assist Cole.

Unfortunately, Beaulaurier couldn’t get a response from Cole and time was running short. The other Blackhawk circled above, reporting the incident back to headquarters and provide over watch in case local villagers got too curious. Beaulaurier directed all of his attention to the severely wounded Bowns, dragging him over the rocky terrain in the direction of the waiting Blackhawk. The other Blackhawk crew chief rushed to his side and the two helped Bowns onto the helicopter. They rushed to the nearest medical facility. Ground forces were dispatched immediately to secure the crash site and tend to Cole who later was determined to have died on impact.

The next couple of days seemed a blur as pilots and Soldiers of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade visited Bowns at his hospital bed side. He tried to comfort the company of young Soldiers trying to make sense of it all. Before leaving for Walter Reed, Bowns attended the memorial ceremony for Cole. On a warm night on the tarmac, more than a thousand in attendance saluted their fallen comrade as a processional led Cole on board a C-17 — destination North Carolina. Bowns, with cuts etched deeply in his face, hardware stabilizing his right leg and three vertebrae fractures, came by ambulance to pay homage to his former co-pilot. Bowns saluted the U.S. flag-draped coffin from his wheel chair. He said a soft prayer and returned to the hospital with a heavy heart and an unsure future.

Now, nine months later, that future seems as bright and promising as ever. He has returned to “where he belongs”; in the cockpit of an Apache with the unit he has come to love. The road back to Afghanistan was not an easy one. After several surgeries and a tedious rehabilitation process, Bowns still had to convince the 82nd CAB he was willing and able to resume duty behind the controls of one of the Army’s most sophisticated aircrafts. Bowns said he was determined to get well, he was determined to get back to Afghanistan and he was determined to fly again and all of that came true.

On Jan. 26th, a new chapter began for this young pilot. The overcast day and threatening clouds beyond the mountains did not faze Bowns as he climbed back in the front seat of his favorite airframe. Bowns was to take his first flight in the very helicopter that replaced his own, a “sweet and ironic moment” for him. His determination to get back has challenged and inspired his fellow Soldiers. “To fall off the horse and get back on, he is the epitome of attack helicopter leadership,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Yalch, the company platoon sergeant, who has worked 13 years with Apache pilots.

When Bowns was asked what it meant for him to be back in Afghanistan, he humbly responded, “These guys developed me as a pilot, officer and as a person. To be able to come back here and to finish off the deployment which we all began together, it means the world to me. And on top of that, to not only come back to the aircraft but to fly again, brings the whole thing full circle.”