Former Navy SEAL Howard Wasdin killed in Georgia plane crash.
JESUP, Ga. — A Georgia chiropractor who served in the military as a Navy SEAL died Thursday when the small plane he was piloting crashed as he tried to land at a rural airport, the local sheriff said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating to determine what caused the single-engine Cirrus SR22 aircraft to crash in Wayne County, roughly 60 miles (96 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.
Officials said the impact killed the pilot, who was the only person on the plane. Wayne County Sheriff Chuck Moseley told WJCL-TV that the pilot had been identified as Howard Wasdin.
Wasdin was a chiropractor in the county seat of Jesup. Before that, he served in the Navy as a member of the elite SEAL Team 6. In 2011, Wasdin co-authored a memoir about his military service titled “SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper.”
According to his website, Wasdin served 12 years in the Navy, including nine years as a SEAL. He was medically retired after being wounded in the 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, later featured in the book and film “Black Hawk Down.”
From Hall of Heros:
Citation:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Hull Technician First Class Howard E. Wasdin, United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against a hostile force during Operation UNOSOM II in Mogadishu, Somalia, on 3 and 4 October 1993. Petty Officer Wasdin was a member of a security team in support of an assault force that conducted an air assault raid into an enemy compound and successfully apprehended two key militia officials and twenty-two others. Upon receiving enemy small arms fire from numerous alleys, Petty Officer Wasdin took up a firing position and returned fire. As he assaulted down the alley with members of his unit, he was wounded in the calf. Upon receiving combat field condition medical attention, he resumed his duties and continued to suppress enemy fire. As his convoy exfiltrated the area with the detainees, his element came under withering enemy fire. Petty Officer Wasdin, along with the security team, stopped to suppress enemy fire which had pinned down the Ranger Blocking Force. Although twice wounded, he continued to pull security and engage a superior enemy force from his vehicle. Later, while attempting to suppress enemy fire during an attempted link up for an evacuation of a helicopter crash site, Petty Officer Wasdin was wounded a third time. His gallant efforts and refusal to quit despite being wounded on three occasions inspired his team members as well as the entire force. By his superb initiative, courageous actions, and complete dedication to duty, Petty Officer Wasdin reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Home Town: Jesup, Georgia
Source: Former Navy SEAL killed in Georgia plane crash, sheriff says
Category: Breaking News, Combat Wounded, Silver Star, Veterans in the news
Rest easy brother you served well.
These small plane crashes tend to rob us, Audie Murphy and others.
Wasdin is the 2nd high profile SEAL lost in 2 weeks. Navy Cross holder Mike Day passed the end last month.
Rest in peace.
Godspeed, Fare Well, and Rest Easy, Good Sir. Your Fellow Warriors await you in Valhalla. May God’s Peace bring some measure of His Comfort to your Family.
That model of plane, a Cirrus SR22, has a whole aircraft parachute safety system. So my first question was why it was not deployed.
Since he was within 1/4 mile of the airport, he was probably at a low altitude, too low for the parachute to deploy and fully inflate. It takes 400′ loss of altitude to deploy and inflate, Cirrus recommends activating the system no lower than 1,000 feet above the ground.
Also, while it can save lives, if it is deployed, the airplane is usually a total loss. With a bare bones starting price of $500,000, pilots have been known to wait too long before pulling the big red handle.
May comfort find his friends and family in their time of need.
Rest Easy, Warrior. We’ve got your watch.
Another passing to note. Former Army Special Forces operator (also MACV-SOG) & CIA Special Activities Division operative, SGM Billy Waugh, moved on to the Pearly Gates at age 93. SGM Waugh in Oct 2001 at the age of 71 deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom while he was a member of the CIA’s SAD. SGM Waugh is a recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star w/ 3 oak leaf clusters,2 awards of the CIB, Purple Heart w/ 7 oak leaf clusters, and numerous other honors. Salute. RIP.
Billy Waugh – Wikipedia
Billy has quite a few references in John Plaster’s history of MACV/SOG—over twelve of them.