Pilot followed family's military footsteps

Pilot followed family's military footsteps

(EXCERPT) Chinook pilot from Genoa was a 'gentle giant' known for his
weightlifting and piano playing

November 4, 2003, by NICOLE ZIEGLER DIZON of The Associated Press

GENOA, Ill. - The pilot killed when his helicopter was shot down in
Iraq on Sunday came from a family with a history of military service -
his father was a paratrooper, one of his brothers fought in Grenada
and the other served in Desert Storm.

So going into the military was a natural path for 1st Lt. Brian
Slavenas, even if it didn't fit his personality.

"He wasn't one of those gung-ho, want-to-go-to-war guys. He was there
to do a job," said his brother Eric Slavenas, who served in Grenada.

The recent college graduate was one of 16 soldiers killed when
insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter west of Baghdad. It was the
deadliest strike against U.S. forces since they invaded Iraq in March.

Slavenas stood 6 feet, 5 inches tall and

weighed nearly 230 pounds but was a "gentle giant," according to
family. Th...

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---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com