Army Pfc. Andre D. McNair Jr.

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pfc. Andre D. McNair Jr., 20, of Fort Pierce, Fla.

Pfc. McNair was assigned to the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died June 5, 2008 at Kandahar Army Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when the Kiowa helicopter he was in went down during a test flight. Also killed was Chief Warrant Officer 4 James Carter.

Fort Pierce soldier killed in Afghanistan dreamed of becoming pilot
By Tyler Treadway

Monday afternoon at the McNair's home in their living room in Fort Pierce, Pam & Andre McNair Sr. talked about their son Andre McNair Jr. They said he wanted to make the Army his carrier and to be a pilot. He was killed June 5 in a helicopter accident in Afghanistan.

FORT PIERCE — Army Pfc. Andre McNair Jr.’s dream of being a pilot fell from the sky ended last week in a helicopter crash at the Kandahar Army Airfield in Afghanistan.

“He really wanted that pilot’s license,” his father, Andre McNair of Fort Pierce, said Monday afternoon. “He really wanted to fly.”

McNair Jr.’s mother, Pam McNair, said her son was “looking to make a career out of the military. He was going to re-enlist so that he could become a pilot.”

The McNairs said they were assured by the Army the fatal crash Thursday, the day after their son’s 20th birthday, was an accident.

Also killed when the Kiowa helicopter went down during a test flight was Army Chief Warrant Officer James Carter, 42, of Alabama.

“It’s comforting to me to know that he wasn’t shot down,” Pam McNair said.

The McNairs said their son had just graduated from Fort Pierce Westwood High School in 2006 when he decided to join the Army.

“We talked about the war,” Andre McNair said. “He understood the consequences, and it was his decision to enlist.”

Because McNair Jr. was mechanically inclined, his father said, “When he decided he was going into the service, he wanted to specialize in auto mechanics. But when he scored pretty high on an aptitude test, they convinced him to go into aviation mechanics.”

The McNairs admit they were nervous when their son got orders to deploy to Afghanistan with his unit, the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from Fort Campbell, Ky.

“But I was a little relieved that he was in Afghanistan rather than Iraq,” Pam McNair said, “and because he was there on the base working on helicopters rather than out fighting. He told us he didn’t feel like he was in any danger.”

Andre McNair said his son never backed away from a challenge.

“If something got the best of him the first time, he’d always go back and try again. When he took a test recently for a pilot’s license, he scored a 96; but he needed a 105 to pass. I asked him what he was going to do, and he said, ‘I’m gonna study harder, go back and take it again.’

“I guarantee you,” Andre McNair added, “if he had had a chance, he would have gotten that 105.”

TO PAY RESPECTS

Family visitation, with a closed casket and Army honor guard, will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at Old Fort Pierce City Hall, Avenue A and U.S. 1 in downtown Fort Pierce.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the East Florida Primitive Baptist Association Temple, 3950 Juanita Ave., Fort Pierce.

Burial will follow the funeral at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, 6026 N. U.S. 1, Fort Pierce, with arrangements by Sarah’s Memorial Chapel of Fort Pierce.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT PFC. ANDRE MCNAIR JR.

“He was the kind of child you want your child to be with. He was so determined to be something in life. It’s hard to find kids like him these days.” -- Jackie Chester, family friend

“Andre was a very quiet, very amenable little boy and a good little student. He always had a pleasant smile on his face.” -- Ruth McGill McNair Jr.’s third-grade teacher

“He was a quiet, reserved young man who was well liked by his peers.” -- Andrea Dampier, guidance director Fort Pierce Westwood High School

Army Pfc. Andre D. McNair Jr. was killed in action on 06/05/08.