ST. LOUIS — Two Missouri natives were among the nine service members who died aboard two Black Hawk helicopters that crashed during a routine training exercise on March 29 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Radford Smith was raised in St. James and graduated from John F. Hodge High School, according to his obituary. His friends and family described the 32-year-old as a dedicated family man, a loyal friend, a dependable battle buddy and an outstanding human being.
Smith joined the U.S. Army in 2012 and served as a Black Hawk pilot in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) with C. Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade (Wings of Destiny).
He was survived by his wife and three children, who live in Clarksville, Tennessee.
St. James Mayor Rick Krawiecki said Smith was a true hometown hero.
"I've got grandkids that asked me, 'What's going on, Grandpa?' I said, this is why you get to play basketball. This is why you get to run track. This is why you have the freedoms that you do because of the sacrifices that not only the soldiers themselves make but their families make," Krawiecki said.
Smith spent more than half his life in St. James.
"We're a close-knit community. I mean, we look out for each other. I think you see that everywhere in small towns. We've known each other for years," Krawiecki said.
One of Smith's best friends growing up, Patric Luebbert said most of the memories he’ll cherish happened at St. James High School.
"Many, many memories, but with basketball specifically. Rusten, we call him country strong. He was always just the strongest guy around. And you couldn't muscle him out of anything. He would always beat you to any ball because he was just so dang strong all the time," Luebbert said.
Luebbert said after graduating high school they went to Missouri S&T together before Smith joined the Army.
"Rusten and knowing his upbringing, we all knew he would be very successful in that role. He was always the strongest, the brightest, and always was able to put a smile on your face," Luebbert said.
Luebbert said when he heard the news, he couldn't believe it.
"It doesn't actually feel real quite yet. Honestly, for myself, at least, whenever I learned about it that day, it was a very, very hard day," Luebbert said.
Luebbert was there to welcome him home on Wednesday with a special procession through St. James.
"Condolences to his family and to all of our friends. We know how much he meant to us and we'll never forget him. He'll always be in our memories," Luebbert said.
Visitation for Smith will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the St. James Middle School gymnasium, located at 1 Tiger Drive in St. James. A memorial service will follow. He will be laid to rest at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Fort Leonard Wood.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zachary G. Esparza grew up in St. Louis and was a graduate of Bayless High School and Southeast Missouri State University. According to his obituary, the 36-year-old enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2010, served as an aeromedical evacuation pilot with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade in Hawaii, pilot-in-command with Task Force Sinai in Egypt and was an instructor pilot assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade since 2021.
Esparza lived his life to its fullest and was described as a St. Louis guy through and through, with his perfect date being eating at Imo's Pizza at a Cardinals' ballgame.
Visitation for Esparza will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Hoffmeister South County Chapel, located at 1515 Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis. His funeral will take place at 10 a.m. next Monday at Crosspoint Church, located at 5001 Little Road Road. He will be laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
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