A great loss...

[jplinville]

DOD: Kettering man dies in Afghanistan | www.whiotv.com

KETTERING —
A Kettering man died March 16 while serving his fourth deployment in Afghanistan for the United States Army, the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Chief Warrant Officer James E. Groves III, 37, died in Kandahar, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, he was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Hunter Army Airfield.
The incident remains under investigation.
A Kiowa pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Groves joined the Army in August 2001 and arrived at the unit in June 2009. His awards include the Air Medal.
No further information has been made available.

I just found out about this last night...and I'm still in a state of shock. My wife and I were able to enjoy lunch with Jim and his wife at Uncle Bubba's last July in Savannah, GA when we went down for my job interview.


Jim and my younger brother were close friends as kids. I dated Jim's sister throughout high school and remain close friends with her and her family over the years.

He is what you could call an oddity of sorts. Both of his parents and his sister are white, while he's black. He wasn't adopted...there was African-American blood on both sides of the family, a number of generations back. We guessed that the cards were dealt in such a way that the gene for his skin color was most dominate when he came to be. Because of him and his family, I learned a lot about biology and genetics...Like I said, an oddity of sorts.

Jim leaves behind a wife and two sons...and many friends and family that are hurting right now.

[E150GT]

Thats terrible.

[Skid Row Joe]

While he died doing a profession he probably loved, it's too bad that there is a wife and kids left behind. Tragic.

[jplinville]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

While he died doing a profession he probably loved, it's too bad that there is a wife and kids left behind. Tragic.

His love of country was great. I remember him coming over and asking my dad about his experiences in the military. He rarely made a decision without weighing the pros and cons of everything...he knew what could happen, and was more than willing to make that sacrifice for his country.

My heart goes out to his beautiful wife and sons...May they never forget the man they called Dad.

[Can't Know]

We should strive to live as if we won't get out alive, because we won't.

Sounds like Jim had a handle on the important things. May his memory remain strong in the hearts and minds of his friends and family.

[KarTek]

Real sorry to hear that Jon.

[jplinville]

Afghanistan Helicopter Crash: U.S. Aircraft Down In Daman, Coalition Member Dead, NATO Says

US Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan, Killing 1 - ABC News

Helicopter crash in Afghanistan adds to mounting loss - Afghanistan - Stripes

From what I could find in these three stories, it wasn't brought down by enemy forces...I hope that they find it wasn't pilot error, he was really good at what he did.

[jplinville]

My wife and I are preparing for the service at Arlington...What a tragedy. I'm still stunned by this.

Kettering pilot was near end of final tour | www.daytondailynews.com

KETTERING —

Before his fourth tour of military duty, James Groves III toured Arlington National Cemetery while in Washington, D.C., last fall to run the Marine Corps Marathon.

The U.S. Army chief warrant officer told his wife, Katie, that was where he wanted to be buried if he died in military service.

The 37-year-old Kettering Fairmont High School graduate was killed Saturday when the helicopter he was piloting crashed near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Mechanical failure is suspected. The other soldier who was aboard survived.

Groves, who enlisted following commencement in June 1994, was nearing the end of his second tour in Afghanistan, following two in Iraq.

“He expected this to be the shortest by far. He left in December and was going to be home by September,” said his mother, Leslie Groves, of Kettering, who “knew immediately what had happened” when a chaplain and a uniformed Army officer came to the door of the family home on Olson Drive last weekend.

“He and Katie were going to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. James was very close to his 19th anniversary in the military. He was going to retire after 20 years,” Leslie Groves said.

Katie Groves was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Monday afternoon along with the couple’s sons, James IV, 12, and Shane, 9, when her husband’s body was transported from overseas.

A spokesman at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, where Groves had been stationed, said the incident remains under investigation.

A helicopter crash March 11 in Afghanistan killed five soldiers who were also assigned to the same base. The Army Times reported they were on a routine training mission using night-vision goggles. It was the highest one-day toll for U.S. troops this year in Afghanistan.

Another Dayton area soldier, Ohio National Guard Spec. Cody D. Suggs, 22, of West Alexandria died March 8 in a non-combat incident at Kandahar Airfield.

James, who has an older sister, Jeannette, was born in Columbus on Nov. 7, 1975. The family moved to Kettering in 1978.

He played baseball while growing up in Kettering and football for Fairmont High School. He attended Rosewood Elementary School, now the city’s arts center, for kindergarten and then went to Indian Riffle Elementary School.

At Fairmont, one of his assignments for the student television station was to interview military recruiters.

“He talked to recruiters at all four branches and decided that the Army offered the best deal,” his mother said. “He grew up around it. Both of his grandfathers were in the Army during World War II. His father was in the Army Reserve when we were first married.”

He was stationed in Colorado when he met Katie. “They were both runners and loved going on cruises. Katie took him on a cruise for his birthday last November. He was home for Thanksgiving. He left in December. That was the last time we saw him.”

Groves, who attended officer training school and was an instructor pilot, was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd infantry Division at Hunter Airfield. His resume included included military intelligence and air assault.

“James didn’t say much about what it was like in Afghanistan. He did talk about Iraq. He said the U.S. presence there was necessary and that we were doing some good. When one of his buddies there died, he accompanied the body home for the

Leslie Groves said the commander of the base in Afghanistan told Katie there was no enemy action in the area at the time of the crash. “They were looking at a mechanical malfunction as the cause. Pilot error was not a consideration.”

The body was flown to Dover following a memorial service at Kandahar. A service at Hunter was also planned.

“He will be buried at Arlington per his request. Katie is seeing to that,” Leslie Groves said.

[SwampYankee]

So sad. Sorry to hear that, jp. Thoughts, prayers and condolences to his family and friends.

[Diesel911]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

While he died doing a profession he probably loved, it's too bad that there is a wife and kids left behind. Tragic.

Yes