A Family and Nation Mourn Local Airman Killed on Deadliest Day of the War

For the nation, Aug. 6 was the deadliest day of the Afghanistan War. It was the day we lost three airmen and 20 Navy SEALs. It was the day that 30 U.S. military personnel were killed instantly when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan’s Wardak province.

But for Hunter, 3, and Ethan, 5 months old, Aug. 6 will always be the day they lost their father, Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell.

Harvell was one of the three airmen killed that day, and he will be among the last to be buried, providing some closure for a family and nation in mourning. His flag-draped coffin arrived from Dover today, landing at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, where Harvell was honored with a solemn Hero Mission.

More than 300 people endured blistering heat to pay their respects to Harvell, a Long Beach native and Miliken High School graduate and football player.

Harvell’s mother, Jane, expressed her feelings with a quote from a children’s book she read to her son when he was a little boy, “I'll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”

He left behind three legacies, said his wife, Krista. He left behind his career as an Air Force command controller and his two little boys. The family is even prouder today than they were yesterday, she added.

“Andy loved his career as a command controller,” she said in a written statement. “He served his country well.”

The Air Force Honor Guard carried Harvell’s coffin from the plane to a waiting hearse as dozens of soldiers, police officers and veterans stood at attention. A chaplain spoke briefly over the coffin, but even though he shouted, his voice couldn’t compete with the sound of dozens of flags snapping in the breeze.

“He did not die in vain,” said the chaplain. “We will carry on his memory in our hearts at this time.”

Harvell died in Wardak province when a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Taliban forces struck the aircraft. He was with the 24th Special Tactics Squadron based in Pope Field, NC.

In August, the flag was flown at half-staff at Long Beach city facilities in Harvell's memory. Shortly after the incident, Gen. John Allen announced that coalition forces had killed the Taliban members responsible for shooting down the helicopter. A separate NATO statement said that an airstrike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who "fired the shot associated with" the destruction of the helicopter.  

The Harvell family has invited the community to attend memorial services Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Forest Lawn-Long Beach, at 1500 E. San Antonio Dr. Long Beach and the interment at Los Angeles National Cemetery, at 950 S Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles.

On hand to escort Harvell’s coffin were dozens of veterans on motorcycles with the Patriot Guard Escorts. All volunteers and veterans, the riders have escorted countless soldiers to their graves. For many, who are Vietnam vets, the Hero Mission is deeply personal.

“Once I found out about the organization, I had to be a part of it,  because no one should have to go through what we went through when we got home,” said Vietnam vet and Patriot Guard John Gretzinger. Gretzinger lost six friends when their helicopter was shot down in 1961. Their remains were never found, but their memories stay in Gretzinger’s heart and on his mind at every hero mission, he said.

“We are here to let the family know that their loved one did not die in vain,” Gretzinger. “We are here to say, ‘We love you, and thank you for the sacrifice that you and your loved one has made.' ”