Driving through St. James Saturday afternoon felt like the Fourth of July with the sound turned off. There were flags outside every business, decorating the patches of grass lining the street and rippling in the spring breeze. Just a few hours earlier there had been thunder and lightning, but the sun was out and the weather was warm and calm. It was as though the sky itself wanted to contribute a moment of silence for fallen hometown hero, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith.
A seasoned, decorated helicopter pilot, Smith’s death was sudden and unexpected. He and eight others were killed in a training accident near Fort Campbell, Ky., March 29.
Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided in mid-air before going down, according to a preliminary report from the Army’s aviation investigation authority released April 6. The copters were conducting night training in a military operations area/special use airspace.
Family and friends filled the St. James Middle School gym to attend Smith’s memorial service 1 p.m. Saturday. Despite the large volume of people gathered, including many families with small children, the occasion had a reverent silence.
A large projector displayed snapshots of Smith. Uniformed, he stood tall between his grandparents in one and smiled down at his wife as she embraced him in another. Other images showed him reading a book to his daughter in bed and helping his stepson hold a fishing pole. He looked like a man of action, an outdoorsman, an athlete, a soldier, a hands-on father, an affectionate husband, a protective brother.
These conclusions were affirmed by both speakers at the service, Pastor Don Carson of the First Church of God, St. James; and CSM (Retired) Richard C. Morris, Smith’s uncle.
Although born in Jacksonville, Fla., Smith spent most of his growing up years in St. James. As a boy, Carson said Smith had been in the first class of sixth graders to play basketball in the middle school gym.
“How fitting it is that today we’re here remembering him in this building,” Carson said.
“Thank you to the community of St. James and not only the community of St. James, but the surrounding communities for your outpouring of love and compassion for the Smith family as they have traveled this journey for the last couple of weeks. It makes one proud to live in a community like this and to see how people have turned out to remember a local hero.”
He shared that Smith’s peers agreed he was highly intelligent and talented, a man who represented himself and his community honorably. Encouraging Smith’s family to lean on the comfort of friends and neighbors, he also quoted from the Bible, 2 Corinthians, that relief can be found in, “God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all comfort.”
Morris painted a picture of Smith as a credit to his Army family and community: he was brave, obedient, humble, unselfish and a terrific leader. He shared stories of him as a boy and a man, meticulously following the rules with exactness and respect for his elders.
He addressed the full gym, many of whom were in uniform to pay respects to their friend and brother in arms.
“I think we should celebrate his accomplishments: his work ethic, his pride in America, his love for his family, his passion for the woods and flying and so much more,” Morris said.
Smith joined the United States Army in 2012 and served as a Blackhawk Pilot in the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) with C. Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade (Wings of Destiny). He served multiple deployments, including two combat tours to Afghanistan and Europe for Atlantic Resolve.
Morris quoted “Rooster” Smith’s fellow soldiers, “I’ve heard so many impactful words like how ‘meticulous’ he was, how ‘impressive’ he was, how ‘on top of it all; his care for soldiers.’ ‘A pilot I was always excited to fly with.’ ‘Rusten had a way about him that was so comforting, a connection in the cockpit.’ ‘I trusted him with everything.’”
Smith and his wife Caroline were raising three children, Conner, Luna and Lily, together in Clarksville, Tenn.. His parents, Rad and Brenda Smith; his sister, Lena and husband, Monty Turner and his grandparents, Harold and Bonnie Hoffmeister, all live in St. James.
“Thanks again for your outpouring of love and support.” Morris urged, “Please don’t stop. Don’t stop after today. Continue. Continue wrapping your arms around this family and this soldier, it makes a difference.”
After the service, a somber parade transported Smith to his burial at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Fort Leonard Wood, where he was laid to rest with full military honors. People on overpasses and other sites along the route paid respect. As the motorcade trailed away, a military helicopter flew over the St. James water tower, seemingly traveling the same route from the sky.
Others killed in the crash of Blackhawks include:
• Warrant Officer Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Fla.;
• Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, of Austin, Texas, who was posthumously promoted to sergeant;
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Mo., who was posthumously promoted to chief warrant officer 3;
• Sgt. Isaac J. Gayo, 27, of Los Angeles, Calif.;
• Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25, of Morehead City, N.C.;
• Warrant Officer Aaron Healy, 32, of Cape Coral, Fla., who was posthumously promoted to chief warrant officer 2;
• Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, of Mountain Brook, Ala.;
• Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, N.J.
