SF soldier loses life in rescue attempt

All of you sent us this link to an Associated Press article about Chief Warrant Officer Edward Cantrell, who escaped a fire in their house by jumping from a second story window. When Cantrell reentered the house to rescue their children 6-year-old Isabella and 4-year-old Natalia, none of them made it out.

Cantrell, 36, was a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. He held the rank of chief warrant officer 2, which authorized Cantrell to lead half of his 12-member Green Beret team if it was split up, said Lt. Col. April Olsen, a spokeswoman for Army Special Forces Command.

Records show Cantrell joined the Army in 1994, listing a home address in Plant City, Fla. He had one combat deployment to Iraq and five to Afghanistan, returning from the last mission in August, Olsen said.

His record included four Bronze Stars and one Purple Heart, awarded for wounds suffered in a war zone, Olsen said.

His wife and his dog survived the fire.

Category: Real Soldiers