Judy Hamilton
7th January 2007, 02:45 AM (02:45)
Legacy of an Arctic Cowboy
“Icy 33 coming around on your left!” Those were the last words anyone heard over the radio from CW4 Chester “Chet” Troxel before his powerful Black Hawk went down — for reasons unknown — in a remote part of the desert in northern Iraq near Tal Afar. It was January 7, 2006. Earlier, the evening sky was somewhat cloudy when the helicopter, with call sign “Icy 33,” lifted off from the Q-West Base Complex for a classified mission.
Chet was a veteran pilot flying the second aircraft in a two-ship formation.
They were helping to carry out a night assault mission by providing airlift for the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagles.” Four civilians and seven other soldiers were on board when the tragedy struck. Those individuals included three of Chet’s fellow Alaska National Guardsmen. They were a close, cohesive unit. Their deaths were the first Alaska National Guard combat losses since World War II.
During a memorial ceremony in Iraq, the company commander declared Chet's call sign “Icy 33” officially retired in honor of his ultimate sacrifice.
“Chet was one of those individuals who was rock-solid, nothing would get him riled,” said his buddy and fellow guardsman Maj. Darrin Dorn, who also attended the same church as the Troxel family. “He could always be counted on to do the right thing. He never forgot where he came from as an enlisted soldier and went out of his way to make sure the young soldiers were taken care of.”
Darrin describes Chet as a “true aviation professional” who loved to fly. “He used every excuse he could to get in the cockpit. In the summer of 2004, Alaska had the worst fire season in its history…Chet was one of the first to volunteer for the firefighting effort and stayed to the last day several months later. He would fly all day and work at his computer most of the evening to make sure he stayed on top of his civilian job,” he said.
Chet earned the nickname “Corporate” because he was always glued to a cell phone or a laptop, keeping up with his many responsibilities. He was determined to give 100 percent in whatever he did. In fact, Chet was so devoted to his unit and his flying duties with the guard that, after knee surgery, he worked overtime to recuperate quickly so he could make the deployment to Iraq.
Chester Troxel’s intense aviation career spanned a combined 26 years in the Army and Army National Guard. During his service to the country, this patriotic arctic cowboy was also a loving husband and a father.
Sheree Troxel met Chet when she was 17 years old. He was 20. The enamored pair married six months later. “I thought he was the smartest, wisest man on earth. He had it going on and he knew what he wanted to do with his life.”
At the time, Chet was a Chinook mechanic at Fort Wainwright. His ultimate goal was to become a military pilot. Going to flight school would have taken him away from Sheree for one year. That’s when he made her a deal she couldn’t turn down. “He knew I wanted to have kids but he wanted to wait. So he told me, ‘If you let me go to flight school, we can have a baby!’ Needless to say, flight school changed my life forever,” she said.
Although flying was his passion, what Chet loved most in life was spending time with Sheree and their two children, Hollis and Summer, who are now 17 and 15. “He was gone six to eight months of the year with his job, but when he was home he was home with us,” said Sheree.
She and Summer have a disability that Chet made sure never interfered with quality family moments. “It’s called HSP, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia,” explained Sheree. “This affects our muscles from the waist down. We are just like ya’ll, except we walk like ducks. But, we do it with a smile!”
The disability meant Sheree was left behind during Chet’s winter runs in their South Anchorage neighborhood. But he decided to change that. “He went online with a baby jogger company and found a special-needs jogger and he ordered one so I could go with him,” said Sheree. “That was just great. I thought, ‘Wow’ … He was something else …” her voice trailed off.
When the kids were younger, Chet and Hollis would often bond by spending afternoons hiking a rugged mountain called Flat Top. Summer, who was 8 at the time, insisted she should be able to go, too. Despite the HSP, Chet found a way to make that happen for his little girl. He fashioned a gurney-type device, laden with pillows, and strapped it to his back so he could carry a gleeful Summer as he trudged up the mountain. When they neared the peak, Chet let her down and watched proudly as she climbed to the top on her own.
Summer is now a spunky teenager who has many memories of days like that spent in the Alaskan outdoors. “I am not a frilly, lacy-type girl and that was fine with my Dad. He enjoyed showing me how to fish or to shoot a gun or change a tire,” she said. Summer spent a recent school break recovering from yet another extensive surgery to both of her legs. But she doesn’t let her physical condition slow her down. Her father taught her to dream big. “He always encouraged me to believe I can do whatever I want when I grow up. He also taught me to count my blessings, such as my family and those who love me and for God's hand on my life.”
Hollis, a runner like his father, says his dad taught him to always be accountable. “My Dad and I were really close. He was always responsible for his actions. This is a part of him that I want to carry on in my life. Dad taught me that if I made a mistake, do whatever it takes to fix it and to not lay the blame on someone else,” said Hollis, who had plans to go to France with his father to visit Normandy. It was important to Chet that his children understand the sacrifice of the nation’s veterans.
“Every Memorial Day we went out to the veterans’ cemetery here (in Anchorage) and looked at the names. It was sacred to him,” said Sheree. “When there were protestors in town, Hollis would get angry but Chet would explain that it’s okay. He told him ‘they have a right and the freedom to do that because of what we’ve done.’ He was very proud to be an American.”
Sheree says her faith in God is helping her find peace. She shared this personal note she wrote to the soul mate who was taken from her all too soon. Bronze Star recipient Chester Troxel was 45 years old:
“My Darling Chet,
One of the hardest things about this whole thing was leaving
you so far away in Arlington. But I am comforted by the fact that you are not
really there. You are with your Lord. And you are in my heart and in the face,
eyes and actions of your amazing children. I love you so very much and miss
you so. I have peace, because I know you are at peace. I will see you in my
thoughts and dreams. You are my hero, not just because you gave your life
for your country, but because you also gave yourself to our children and me for
23 years. You have been my Hero for 23 years and you will be my Hero forever.”
— Lt. Judy Crausbay Hamilton
Judy served as a nurse in Vietnam with the Army Nurse Corp. Today she does travel contract nursing.
“Icy 33 coming around on your left!” Those were the last words anyone heard over the radio from CW4 Chester “Chet” Troxel before his powerful Black Hawk went down — for reasons unknown — in a remote part of the desert in northern Iraq near Tal Afar. It was January 7, 2006. Earlier, the evening sky was somewhat cloudy when the helicopter, with call sign “Icy 33,” lifted off from the Q-West Base Complex for a classified mission.
Chet was a veteran pilot flying the second aircraft in a two-ship formation.
They were helping to carry out a night assault mission by providing airlift for the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagles.” Four civilians and seven other soldiers were on board when the tragedy struck. Those individuals included three of Chet’s fellow Alaska National Guardsmen. They were a close, cohesive unit. Their deaths were the first Alaska National Guard combat losses since World War II.
During a memorial ceremony in Iraq, the company commander declared Chet's call sign “Icy 33” officially retired in honor of his ultimate sacrifice.
“Chet was one of those individuals who was rock-solid, nothing would get him riled,” said his buddy and fellow guardsman Maj. Darrin Dorn, who also attended the same church as the Troxel family. “He could always be counted on to do the right thing. He never forgot where he came from as an enlisted soldier and went out of his way to make sure the young soldiers were taken care of.”
Darrin describes Chet as a “true aviation professional” who loved to fly. “He used every excuse he could to get in the cockpit. In the summer of 2004, Alaska had the worst fire season in its history…Chet was one of the first to volunteer for the firefighting effort and stayed to the last day several months later. He would fly all day and work at his computer most of the evening to make sure he stayed on top of his civilian job,” he said.
Chet earned the nickname “Corporate” because he was always glued to a cell phone or a laptop, keeping up with his many responsibilities. He was determined to give 100 percent in whatever he did. In fact, Chet was so devoted to his unit and his flying duties with the guard that, after knee surgery, he worked overtime to recuperate quickly so he could make the deployment to Iraq.
Chester Troxel’s intense aviation career spanned a combined 26 years in the Army and Army National Guard. During his service to the country, this patriotic arctic cowboy was also a loving husband and a father.
Sheree Troxel met Chet when she was 17 years old. He was 20. The enamored pair married six months later. “I thought he was the smartest, wisest man on earth. He had it going on and he knew what he wanted to do with his life.”
At the time, Chet was a Chinook mechanic at Fort Wainwright. His ultimate goal was to become a military pilot. Going to flight school would have taken him away from Sheree for one year. That’s when he made her a deal she couldn’t turn down. “He knew I wanted to have kids but he wanted to wait. So he told me, ‘If you let me go to flight school, we can have a baby!’ Needless to say, flight school changed my life forever,” she said.
Although flying was his passion, what Chet loved most in life was spending time with Sheree and their two children, Hollis and Summer, who are now 17 and 15. “He was gone six to eight months of the year with his job, but when he was home he was home with us,” said Sheree.
She and Summer have a disability that Chet made sure never interfered with quality family moments. “It’s called HSP, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia,” explained Sheree. “This affects our muscles from the waist down. We are just like ya’ll, except we walk like ducks. But, we do it with a smile!”
The disability meant Sheree was left behind during Chet’s winter runs in their South Anchorage neighborhood. But he decided to change that. “He went online with a baby jogger company and found a special-needs jogger and he ordered one so I could go with him,” said Sheree. “That was just great. I thought, ‘Wow’ … He was something else …” her voice trailed off.
When the kids were younger, Chet and Hollis would often bond by spending afternoons hiking a rugged mountain called Flat Top. Summer, who was 8 at the time, insisted she should be able to go, too. Despite the HSP, Chet found a way to make that happen for his little girl. He fashioned a gurney-type device, laden with pillows, and strapped it to his back so he could carry a gleeful Summer as he trudged up the mountain. When they neared the peak, Chet let her down and watched proudly as she climbed to the top on her own.
Summer is now a spunky teenager who has many memories of days like that spent in the Alaskan outdoors. “I am not a frilly, lacy-type girl and that was fine with my Dad. He enjoyed showing me how to fish or to shoot a gun or change a tire,” she said. Summer spent a recent school break recovering from yet another extensive surgery to both of her legs. But she doesn’t let her physical condition slow her down. Her father taught her to dream big. “He always encouraged me to believe I can do whatever I want when I grow up. He also taught me to count my blessings, such as my family and those who love me and for God's hand on my life.”
Hollis, a runner like his father, says his dad taught him to always be accountable. “My Dad and I were really close. He was always responsible for his actions. This is a part of him that I want to carry on in my life. Dad taught me that if I made a mistake, do whatever it takes to fix it and to not lay the blame on someone else,” said Hollis, who had plans to go to France with his father to visit Normandy. It was important to Chet that his children understand the sacrifice of the nation’s veterans.
“Every Memorial Day we went out to the veterans’ cemetery here (in Anchorage) and looked at the names. It was sacred to him,” said Sheree. “When there were protestors in town, Hollis would get angry but Chet would explain that it’s okay. He told him ‘they have a right and the freedom to do that because of what we’ve done.’ He was very proud to be an American.”
Sheree says her faith in God is helping her find peace. She shared this personal note she wrote to the soul mate who was taken from her all too soon. Bronze Star recipient Chester Troxel was 45 years old:
“My Darling Chet,
One of the hardest things about this whole thing was leaving
you so far away in Arlington. But I am comforted by the fact that you are not
really there. You are with your Lord. And you are in my heart and in the face,
eyes and actions of your amazing children. I love you so very much and miss
you so. I have peace, because I know you are at peace. I will see you in my
thoughts and dreams. You are my hero, not just because you gave your life
for your country, but because you also gave yourself to our children and me for
23 years. You have been my Hero for 23 years and you will be my Hero forever.”
— Lt. Judy Crausbay Hamilton
Judy served as a nurse in Vietnam with the Army Nurse Corp. Today she does travel contract nursing.