Quitman soldier killed in action

Published 6:00 am Thursday, December 19, 2013

    The town of Quitman is mourning the loss of one of its own in the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Newsletter sign up WIDGET

Email newsletter signup

    Quitman High School Principal Michael McDonald said the loss of Terry Gordon Tuesday during operations in Afghanistan has hit the community and the school hard.

    “He was a great kid,” said McDonald of Gordon who graduated from QHS in 2011. “His leadership and confidence was clearly evident. He just oozed confidence and he was dependable and well respected among the students here.”

    McDonald said some of Gordon’s relatives were still either part of the staff at QHS or were students when the news arrived Tuesday. McDonald said school counselors were on standby if any of the staff or students needed grief counseling.

    “Terry always wanted to go into the Army and he was a four-year member of the school’s Jr. ROTC program,” McDonald said. “He was just one of those young men who you would notice for the way he carried himself.”

    According to CBS News, six Americans were killed Tuesday when the Blackhawk helicopter they were in crashed in the district of Shah Joy in the Zabul Province of southern Afghanistan.

    The Clarke County Tribune said Wednesday afternoon that Spc. Gordon’s mother, Sabina Gordon, confirmed that her son was killed while on duty performing black ops in a helicopter.

    There were seven aboard the chopper when it crashed. The seventh soldier was rescued by other NATO forces, CBS said. CBS News said it is unclear how the Americans died and an investigation is being launched to find out how the six Americans, including Gordon, died.

    CBS News said it was the worst single day loss for the U.S. in the six months since Afghan troops officially took the lead in combat operations.

    According to Gordon’s Facebook page, Gordon was a member of the 1st Infantry Division, “The Big Red One”, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. Gordon was a member of B Company, 3-1 Air Assault.