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Fort Smith, Ark. (KFSM & KTHV) One of the military personnel killed during a helicopter attack in Eastern Afghanistan is from Siloam Springs.
Elizabeth Newlun confirmed Sunday that her son, Air Force Tech Sgt. John W. Brown, died in the crash. Newlun says Brown was a paramedic whose unit was attached to the Navy SEALs.
She says her son was athletic and went to John Brown University on a swimming scholarship. Newlun says he wanted to go into medicine, but instead joined the military after seeing a video about a special tactical unit.
Brown attended high school with State Rep. Jon Woods, who called him the ideal model for a soldier �?? tall, physically fit and smart.
Newlun says Brown will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
State Representative Jon Woods says shortly after high school, Brown joined the military.
�??He died a hero�??s death, and I�??m very proud of him and proud to say I�??m a friend of his, and I�??m going to miss him tremendously,�?? says Woods.
In all 38, U.S. and Afghan troops were killed when that NATO helicopter was shot down. The Taliban is claiming it shot down the chopper, but U.S. officials will only say they are still trying to determine exactly what happened. This appears to be the single most deadly incident for coalition forces since the war began.
Brown was a USAF Pararescueman assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron.
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By Janie Bryant
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 8, 2011
Arkansas Rep. Jon Woods said he got an email Saturday morning that one of his friends was among those killed in the helicopter shot down in Afghanistan.
The email was from Elizabeth Newlun, mother of Air Force Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown.
"For a second, I thought maybe she's talking about somebody else," he said Sunday. But soon, "everything came crashing down."
Woods said he and Brown had lived down the street from each other and had been good friends in high school.
Brown graduated in 1996 from Siloam Springs High School, in northwest Arkansas.
The two played basketball and ran track together, the state legislator said.
Woods recalled how tired he would be after practice and how Brown would go home, eat dinner, put his tennis shoes back on and run for another hour or two.
He described his friend as the "perfect soldier" but also as someone with the potential to do many things.
"Physically, he was Superman," Woods said. But he was extremely intelligent as well, he said.
Woods said Brown went to college for about a year before he joined the military, something he had always talked about.
"He was very patriotic," he said. "He loved his country."
Woods said Brown - whom he believed was stationed in North Carolina - was well trained in rescue operations, and he could see why Brown would be chosen to work in special missions.
"His physical stature and mental stature made him the perfect combination to be teamed with those SEALs," he said.
Woods said Brown was married but had no children.
Janie Bryant, (757) 446-2453, janie.bryant@pilotonline.com
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Heather Lewis 5NEWS Reporter
1:22 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2011
A Siloam Springs native is killed after his military helicopter is shot down in Afghanistan Saturday morning. Arkansas State Representative Jon Woods says his friend John Brown was the perfect soldier.
"He was just an All-American G.I. Joe. Just a great guy who loved his country," says Woods.
Woods says he and Brown grew up in Siloam Springs together.
"Everybody liked John in high school,�?? says Woods, �??He was easy to get along with, great athlete, and great sense of humor."
Saturday afternoon Woods got an email from Brown's mother Elizabeth Newlun stating Brown's Navy SEAL unit had been shot down in Afghanistan.
"Hearing the news that it was the Navy SEAL team, or a large group of the men that were killed this morning, it doesn't surprise me that John was more than likely part of that team," says Woods.
He says Brown always loved a challenge.
"He loved to fight,�?? says Woods, �??He loved his country. He likes doing the right thing and he really believed in what he was doing."
Newlun says her son studied pre-med in Florida before deciding to become a Pararescueman in the United States Air Force. She says he was assigned to a Navy SEALS unit and was recently promoted to tech sergeant.
"His specific job is to be with them and to see to their medical needs and to see to their rescue in the situation that they'd been taken hostage or something like that," says Newlun.
Newlun says the public outcry of support and knowing Brown was not only her hero, but an American hero has given her comfort during this difficult time.
�??We all have a great comfort in that he died doing what he wanted to do and that he died with honor,�?? says Newlun.
According to Woods, losing Brown isn't only a tragic loss for friends and family, but also for our country.
"He was physically fit, mentally sharp, great sense of humor, and he was the perfect, you know, when I think of the perfect soldier, that was John Brown," says Woods.
He says Brown is a soldier who will always be remembered.
"He died a hero's death and I'm very proud of him and proud to say I'm a friend of his, and I'm going to miss him tremendously," says Woods.
Newlun says her son is best described in a letter written by Brown's uncle.
"John Brown was a rambo without the attitude,�?? reads Newlun, �??He was a humble healer and service to his country, a Special Forces medic on a mission in Afghanistan. He was brave, but never arrogant, powerful but always gentle, a smart man who knew himself and chose his words carefully."
Brown will be buried in the National Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.
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31 U.S. special forces and seven Afghan soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Wardak province.
Last Updated: Saturday, August 06, 2011 7:40 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) --
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says 31 U.S. special forces and seven Afghan soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Wardak province.
It's the highest number of casualties recorded in a single incident in Afghanistan.
Karzai said in a statement on Saturday that he has sent condolences to President Barack Obama for the victims of the overnight crash.
Senior administration official have confirmed the helicopter was shot down. The Taliban have claimed responsibility, saying their fighters downed the helicopter in a battle with NATO troops.
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