Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris J. Scherkenbach

Remember Our Heroes

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida.

CW4 Scherkenbach died while conducting combat operations when the MH-47 helicopter that he was aboard crashed in the vicinity of Asadabad, Afghanistan in Kumar Province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia.

He was born on Nov. 3, 1964 in Illinois. Chief Warrant Officer Four Scherkenbach originally enlisted in the Army as a communication specialist in April of 1987. His first duty station was Germany. He was accepted into the Warrant Officer entry program in 1990, and graduated from the Warrant Officer Program at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 1990. Also during 1991, he attended the Warrant Officer Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary Wing training.

After completing his CH-47D aircraft qualifications at Fort Rucker, Chief Warrant Officer Four Scherkenbach was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. He was then assigned to Camp Humphreys, Korea as a CH-47D Chinook pilot. After completing his tour in Korea, he returned to the 159th Aviation Regiment. He was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.

Chief Warrant Officer Four Scherkenbach's military schools include the Survival Evasion Resistance Escape Level-C course, the Aviation Safety Officer Course, the Electronic Warfare Officer Course, the Special Operations Training Course, and the Warrant Officer Advanced Course.

His awards and decorations include the Air Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Senior Army Aviator Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal with “V” device, Meritorious Service Medal, Master Army Aviator Badge, and Combat Action Badge.

Chief Warrant Officer Four Scherkenbach is survived by his wife Michelle and daughter Sarah Grace Xiaomei, of Jacksonville, Florida.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris J. Scherkenbach was killed in action on 06/28/05.