wildstangs
04-07-2003, 10:46 PM
Texas soldier killed in Iraq loved flying
Pilot, 32, who died in copter crash was head of class in Sweetwater
04/08/2003
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
Scott Jamar was a resolute young man who dreamed of being a helicopter pilot.
When his Army physical determined that he was too tall from the waist up to qualify, he became a flight engineer. Shortly before the end of his six-year enlistment, he decided to reapply for helicopter flight training, just in case. He made the cut and re-enlisted.
Chief Warrant Officer Jamar, 32, was one of six soldiers killed Wednesday when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting crashed in central Iraq. The crash is still being investigated.
"He loved flying," said his father, Wayne Jamar of Granbury, southwest of Fort Worth.
Born in Abilene, Chief Warrant Officer Jamar grew up in Sweetwater, Texas, where he was an outstanding student, his father said. He was class president, head of the choir and a member of the track and football teams.
Arlon Barnes, who coached the teen on the offensive line at Sweetwater High School, remembers a hard-working student.
"He wasn't the most gifted athlete we've had come through, but he stayed with the program, and by his senior year he was playing for us," Mr. Barnes said. "Everybody liked Scott."
After graduating from high school in 1989, Chief Warrant Officer Jamar attended Southwest Texas State University.
Mr. Jamar remembers learning that his son decided to enlist.
"He called me up one day and said, 'You're wasting your money and my time. I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm going to drop out and join the Army and become a helicopter pilot.' "
Shawn Chittum of Sweetwater wasn't surprised that his friend since grade school became a pilot.
"He was a go-getter," Mr. Chittum said. "Nothing came to him. He made everything happen that he did. If there was something he wanted to do, you better watch out because he was going to do it."
His friend finished at the top of his class at pilot school and in becoming a chief warrant officer, Mr. Chittum said.
After becoming a pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Jamar was stationed in Korea for a year. In November, he returned to Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga., where his former wife was caring for their two sons.
On Super Bowl Sunday, he was shipped out to Kuwait. Services are pending.
In addition to his father, Mr. Jamar is survived by his stepmother, Jennifer Jamar of Granbury; two sons, Brennan Jamar and Kyle Jamar; a sister, Elizabeth Jamar, of Granbury; his mother, Aggie Oldfields, of Belen, N.M.; a stepsister, Sally Orozco, of Belen; and a stepbrother, Paul Allen, of Birmingham, Ala.
E-mail jsimnacher@dallasnews.com
<small>[ April 07, 2003, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: wildstangs ]</small>
Pilot, 32, who died in copter crash was head of class in Sweetwater
04/08/2003
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
Scott Jamar was a resolute young man who dreamed of being a helicopter pilot.
When his Army physical determined that he was too tall from the waist up to qualify, he became a flight engineer. Shortly before the end of his six-year enlistment, he decided to reapply for helicopter flight training, just in case. He made the cut and re-enlisted.
Chief Warrant Officer Jamar, 32, was one of six soldiers killed Wednesday when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting crashed in central Iraq. The crash is still being investigated.
"He loved flying," said his father, Wayne Jamar of Granbury, southwest of Fort Worth.
Born in Abilene, Chief Warrant Officer Jamar grew up in Sweetwater, Texas, where he was an outstanding student, his father said. He was class president, head of the choir and a member of the track and football teams.
Arlon Barnes, who coached the teen on the offensive line at Sweetwater High School, remembers a hard-working student.
"He wasn't the most gifted athlete we've had come through, but he stayed with the program, and by his senior year he was playing for us," Mr. Barnes said. "Everybody liked Scott."
After graduating from high school in 1989, Chief Warrant Officer Jamar attended Southwest Texas State University.
Mr. Jamar remembers learning that his son decided to enlist.
"He called me up one day and said, 'You're wasting your money and my time. I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm going to drop out and join the Army and become a helicopter pilot.' "
Shawn Chittum of Sweetwater wasn't surprised that his friend since grade school became a pilot.
"He was a go-getter," Mr. Chittum said. "Nothing came to him. He made everything happen that he did. If there was something he wanted to do, you better watch out because he was going to do it."
His friend finished at the top of his class at pilot school and in becoming a chief warrant officer, Mr. Chittum said.
After becoming a pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Jamar was stationed in Korea for a year. In November, he returned to Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga., where his former wife was caring for their two sons.
On Super Bowl Sunday, he was shipped out to Kuwait. Services are pending.
In addition to his father, Mr. Jamar is survived by his stepmother, Jennifer Jamar of Granbury; two sons, Brennan Jamar and Kyle Jamar; a sister, Elizabeth Jamar, of Granbury; his mother, Aggie Oldfields, of Belen, N.M.; a stepsister, Sally Orozco, of Belen; and a stepbrother, Paul Allen, of Birmingham, Ala.
E-mail jsimnacher@dallasnews.com
<small>[ April 07, 2003, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: wildstangs ]</small>