AMERICAN VETERAN

An Oklahoma native was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in Iraq, the U.S. Defense Department said.

Chief Warrant Officer Lawrence S. Colton, 32, was killed in Baghdad when his Apache attack helicopter was shot down.

Colton , a Killeen, Texas, resident, was born in Guthrie and joined the Army in 1992. He had been stationed at Fort Hood since December 2000 and was a helicopter pilot with the 227th Aviation Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Colton 's father, Oklahoma City resident Loren Nix, said his son was "a hell of a good guy."

Nix said the family won't be making any other comments.  "Right now we don't want to talk," he said. "We're just trying to get him home."

Colton has a wife, Inge, and an 11-year-old son from a previous marriage.

His ex-wife, Shannon Daughtry, said Colton was raised in Midwest City and attended Carl Albert High School, where he won several medals in cross-country events. She said his high school picture still hangs on the wall there.

Colton was quoted in a news release out of Baghdad published Monday by the 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, but it's not clear when he made the comments.  "Life's not so bad here," Colton said in the release. "We get some mortars here and there, but they're not that effective.  "We're well-suited for the mission here," Colton said.
 

Oklahoman Archives
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
April 14, 2004

OKLAHOMA CITY — One of the two helicopter pilots killed in Iraq on Sunday was an Oklahoman, military officials said Tuesday.

Chief Warrant Officer Lawrence S . Colton , 32, was killed in Baghdad when his Apache attack helicopter was shot down.

Colton , a Killeen, Texas, resident, was born in Guthrie and joined the Army in 1992. He had been stationed at Fort Hood since December 2000 and was a helicopter pilot with the 227th Aviation Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division. ...

Colton was based in Camp Cooke, Iraq, a frequent target for mortar and rocket attacks.

Honor The Fallen -  Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lawrence S. Colton

Valor awards for Lawrence S. Colton | Military Times Hall of Valor

Lawrence S Colton | Freedom Remembered