Fallen Dothan pilot remembered as good father, soldier

April Lyons believes her husband likely died saving the lives of others after the helicopter he was flying crashed in western Afghanistan.

Her husband, 40-year-old Niall Lyons, was one of 10 U.S. servicemen to die in the Chinook helicopter crash last week. Not much has been publicly released about how the crash happened, but Army officials told April Lyons that several others survived the crash, including an agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Army Sgt. Eric Hendrix, a public affairs officer at Fort Bragg, N.C., said Lyons was one of seven U.S. Army Special Operations soldiers who died in the crash. Hendrix also said three DEA agents died in the crash.

Lyons was a native of Spokane, Wash. He joined the Army in 1994 and moved to Dothan in 1998.

“It wasn’t pilot error, they did tell us that,” Mrs. Lyons said. “He died helping others, that’s the kind of person he was. He was there for the greater good, he was there fighting for his country.”

She said a recent meeting with President Barack Obama has helped her and their son, 8-year-old John Patrick, recover from the loss. Obama gave Lyons and John Patrick his condolences in Dover, Del., last week during what Lyons referred to as the dignified transfer when her husband’s body arrived back to the U.S.

“It was a good gesture. It meant a lot for the president to be there,” Lyons said. “We just hope he makes a decision soon about sending more troops over there, so they didn’t die in vain. He said he’d been thinking about our families.”

Lyons said Obama told the families he was close on a decision about whether to pull troops out or send more over to the Middle East.

“I think it was good for John Patrick to be there to start healing,” Lyons said. “It’s hard for him to understand his daddy is not coming home.”

Lyons said her husband has received three medals for his service from when the helicopter crashed, including the Bronze Star, the Air medal and the Meritorious Service medal. She said he will also receive the Purple Heart.

“I liked shaking hands with the president,” John Patrick Lyons said. “Almost every holiday my dad spent with me. It was just an adventure going places with him. One big adventure.”

According to an Army statement, Lyons was most recently assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Airborne Regiment in Savannah, Ga. Hendrix referred to Lyons’ elite unit as the Night Stalkers.

“I believe their motto is ‘Night Stalkers don’t quit,’” Hendrix said. “The Night Stalkers came out of the fact they’re specially trained to fly particularly under the cover of darkness and in extreme weather conditions.”

Public Affairs Officer Maj. Brandon Bissell said pilots in the unit are trained in emergency procedures and how to best save those on board the aircraft in the event of a crash.

“He would’ve sacrificed his life to save others because I know they’re trained to do that,” Lyons said.