Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten

Remember Our Heroes

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten,34, of Texas

Chief Warrant Officer Totten was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum N.Y.; died May 5 when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was traveling on crashed during combat operations east of Abad, Afghanistan, in the Kunar province. Also killed were: Pfc. Brian M. Moquin Jr., Spc. David N. Timmons Jr., Spc. Justin L. O’Donohoe, Sgt. Jeffery S. Wiekamp, Sgt. John C. Griffith, Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, Staff Sgt. Christopher T. Howick, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher B. Donaldson, and Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty.

By ESTHER WU / The Dallas Morning News

Chief Warrant Officer Eric W. Totten, a graduate of Dallas' arts magnet high school, was among 10 soldiers killed in Afghanistan on May 5, the Department of Defense has announced.

Funeral services are pending.

Chief Warrant Officer Totten died when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was aboard crashed near Asadabad in the Kunar province, according to the Department of Defense. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, N.Y.

The St. Paul, Minn., native, who would have celebrated his 35th birthday last Wednesday, was a career Army pilot who served in Bosnia and Iraq. He was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. In 1997, he was named Army Ranger of the Year.

Chief Warrant Officer Totten moved to Dallas with his father, Noel Totten, and his stepmother, Tommie, when he was 16. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 1990.

Luis Martinez, director of instrumental music at the arts school, recalled that Chief Warrant Officer Totten was a trumpet player at the school. "He was a member of the wind ensemble," he said.

Ms. Totten told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that when military officials knocked on her door Saturday, she knew they had bad news.

"I cried all night," Ms. Totten told reporters. "I didn't go back to sleep. I'm OK. Being 81, I've got to be OK."

Chief Warrant Officer Totten's family has created a memorial Web site, eric-totten.memory-of.com, for friends and relatives to post memorials.

His sister, Thais Hinz of Duluth, Minn., posted a message to her brother on the Web site: "Eric, I was so proud of you and what you have accomplished. You were such a fine and wonderful man. You had such a caring heart. I had envisioned a great future for you but God must have something special in mind for you."

According to the family, Chief Warrant Officer Totten was deeply devoted to his father, who preceded him in death on July 26.

His mother, Floranne, also preceded him in death.

In addition to Ms. Hinz and his stepmother, Chief Warrant Officer Totten is survived by his brothers Noel Totten of Bloomington, Minn., Jim Totten of Tallahassee, Fla., and Ottis Totten of New Orleans; and sister Judy Jackson of Oklahoma City.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten was killed in action on 05/05/06.