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Pilot Who Beat Cancer Dies in Iraq Crash
Officer Aaron Weaver Got a Special Medical Clearance to Fly

TAMPA, Fla. (Jan. 10) - An Army helicopter pilot who had survived cancer and a battle in Somalia depicted in the film "Black Hawk Down" was among nine soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq, his family said Friday.

Chief Warrant Officer Aaron Weaver, rebounding from testicular cancer, could have stayed put at Fort Bragg, N.C., when his unit shipped out to Iraq last year. But that wasn't like him.

Weaver, 32, of Inverness, had worked hard to get himself back into shape after cancer surgery in 2002, and got a special medical clearance to fly his OH-58 observer helicopter in Iraq, his father, Mike Weaver, said Friday.

"He wanted to go to Iraq," his father said. "When you're in a group like that, you don't want your friends to leave you behind."

Aaron Weaver, of the 82nd Airborne Division, was a passenger on the Black Hawk when it went down Thursday. The aircraft, marked with a red cross, was hit by an Iraqi rocket, a witness said. Weaver was flying to Baghdad for a post-cancer checkup with other soldiers in need of medical attention.

As an Army Ranger, Weaver survived the October 1993 battle of Mogadishu in Somalia that was recounted in the book and feature film, "Black Hawk Down." He helped save a buddy's life and is featured in a documentary on the battle.

posted by Jennie @ 9:38 PM