Jesse Samek

A1C Jesse Samek United States Air Force
Born	1983 O'Fallon, Missouri
Died	2004 (aged 20–21) Afghanistan
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	2003–2004
Rank	Airman First Class
Unit	66th Rescue Squadron
Battles/wars	Operation Enduring Freedom
Awards	Purple Heart

Airman First Class Jesse Monroe Samek (1983 – October 21, 2004) was a United States Air Force flight engineer deployed to Afghanistan from the 66th Rescue Squadron based out of Nellis Air Force Base, in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. He died when the HH-60 rescue helicopter he was riding in crashed northwest of Kandahar, Afghanistan. He is most notable as having had a U.S. Air Force camp named after him at the Kandahar Airfield in Kandahar, Afghanistan.^[1]

Education

Samek graduated from Rogers High School, in Rogers, Arkansas in 2001 and attended the University of Arkansas for a year before joining the Air Force in February 2003.

Death

Jesse Samek died in October 2004 when the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter he was the flight engineer during a crash involving poor visibility and drift into terrain. The helicopter was performing a medical evacuation of an Afghani election official who was accidentally shot by a guard 105 miles east of Shindand, and northwest of Kandahar.^[2]

He is buried at Bella Vista Memorial Cemetery.

References

1. ^ "Arkansas airman dies in Afghanistan helicopter crash". Associated Press. http://www.militarycity.com/valor/467582.html. Retrieved 2007-01-02. 
2. ^ Radke, Jace (2004-10-22). "Nellis airman killed on Afghan rescue mission". Las Vegas SUN, Inc. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2004/oct/22/517707442.html. Retrieved 2007-01-02. 

External links

United States Air Force portal

• Obituary to Samek in the Congressional Record

Persondata
Name	Samek, Jesse
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1983
Place of birth	O'Fallon, Missouri
Date of death	2004-10-21
Place of death	Afghanistan