The pair, both Army helicopter pilots, return today to Inverness for the funeral of Aaron Weaver, killed in Iraq. One may not go back.
By CHRIS TISCH
Published January 12, 2004
One man is stationed in Hawaii. The other is coming home from Iraq. Together in Inverness this week, they will bury a brother.
The brothers of Aaron Weaver, 32, who was killed Thursday in a helicopter crash in Iraq, are scheduled to arrive in Florida this evening. Like their brother, both Ryan and Steve are Army helicopter pilots.
The brothers' flight schedules home were juggled several times Sunday, but family members said they think Ryan, 30, and Steve, 39, will get here tonight.
Family members will greet Ryan at Tampa International Airport, while the location of Steve's arrival could not be disclosed, said Kristy Weaver Patterson, who is Aaron Weaver's aunt.
"It's certainly a tragic reason for our reunion, but we have a very close-knit, large family who regularly gather together," Patterson said.
She said family members hope to greet both brothers together, but they may have to split up if they arrive at roughly the same time.
"There have been five flight changes today alone," she said.
Patterson said Aaron Weaver's body had arrived in the United States, but family members were unsure when it would be released to them. They have scheduled a memorial service Friday, although a time has not been set.
The service will be at the Charles E. Davis Funeral Home, 3075 S Florida Ave., Inverness.
"The public is invited; however, the ceremony is intended to focus on the immediate family," Patterson said.
Patterson said family members received word that Gov. Jeb Bush may attend the service. A spokesman for Bush said that as of noon Sunday, the service was not on the governor's schedule.
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Patterson said the family would appreciate Bush attending the service.
"Gov. Bush's attendance at the service would be a tribute to all our military - those who have served, those currently serving and those who would serve in the future," she said.
A chief warrant officer who flew Kiowa helicopters with the 82nd Airborne Division, Aaron Weaver had completed testicular cancer treatments last year. He had persuaded military doctors and leaders to send him to Iraq, but he still was screened bimonthly for cancer.
He was en route to that medical exam when the medevac helicopter he was in crashed. An Iraqi witness said the helicopter was hit by a rocket. Eight other soldiers died in the crash near Fallujah.
Aaron Weaver is survived by his wife, Nancy; his daughter, Savannah, 1; his stepson, Austin, 10; his father, Michael; his mother, Kelly; and five sisters, including one who serves in the Air Force; and his brothers.
Mr. Weaver's grandfather was a World War II and Korean War veteran, his father a Marine. An Inverness High School graduate, Aaron Weaver followed his older brother, Steve, into the military. Ryan later followed.
In October 1993, Aaron Weaver was part of a U.S. Ranger strike team that survived a chaotic battle in Somalia, later memorialized in the book and movie Black Hawk Down. He won the Bronze Star in 1994.
The military offers several options to soldiers who lose a loved one during conflict, but the call is one the soldier and, ultimately, the Department of Defense must make.
Steve, a Hawaii-based Army helicopter pilot scheduled to head to Afghanistan, has decided to remain available for combat.
However, Ryan, a Black Hawk pilot who had been stationed at Baghdad International Airport, just 60 miles from the crash site, "has accepted the option to be removed from combat," Patterson said.
"The family has encouraged him not to make any final decision at this point," she added.
This week, she said, will be devoted to remembering Aaron.
"I'm very proud of him, that he made the decision to sacrifice his life for the betterment of the United States of America," Patterson said. "And he paid the ultimate price and his children will continue to pay the ultimate price.
"But my family has no regrets, and we are very proud of Aaron."
