Honorees

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Year Honored
2014
Honoree
Mark Montgomery
Title
Pilot
Agency
Eagle Med
Agency City
Oklahoma City
Agency State
OK
Last Call
2/22/13
Biography
He was known for his passion for flying and an eye for safety. Mark attended public schools in Oklahoma City, graduating from Western Heights High School in 1983. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as an enlisted soldier until he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1991. He became a warrant officer in 1996. He attended Oklahoma State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation. During his time in the Army he became a trusted maintenance test pilot for the OH-58 Kiowa.<br /> He retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 after 23 years of service. Montgomery was a Master Army Aviator with more than 4,700 safe flight hours. During his military service, Montgomery received numerous accolades and awards, including the Meritorious Service Ribbon, Army Commendation Ribbon, Good Conduct Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Ribbon, and National Defense Service Ribbon, among others. One of his most notable accomplishments, the Clarence R. Clarkson Aviation Safety Medal, was awarded to him three times for his skill as a pilot. He went on to become the Officer in Charge of the Oklahoma Counterdrug Aviation Task Force. Local, state and federal officials tended to like flying on counterdrug missions with Montgomery; he was adept at spotting illegal marijuana fields from the air, so those flights tended to be productive. Mark joined Eagle Med as a pilot in 2011 and quickly rose to Safety Officer and was then promoted Lead Pilot for Eagle Med 7 located in Oklahoma City.<br /> <br /> It was about 5:40am, on a cold February morning when Mark and his crew lifted off the pad in their Eurocopter AS 350 helicopter. They were responding to transport a critical cardiac patient in nearby Watonga when the helicopter crashed.<br /> <br /> Flight Medic Billy Wynne, the only survivor, recalled how Montgomery spent his final seconds trying to save others. Knowing something was wrong, Mark had searched for a safe location to land. Using his experience and skill as a pilot, Mark was able to avoid hitting a nearby nursing home preventing a larger catastrophe. The helicopter crashed in the parking lot of the nursing home killing Mark and Flight Nurse Chris Denning.<br /> <br /> Honored 2014