Trane (Joseph T.) McCloud killed in helicopter crash

ELIZABETHTON - "He was a good Marine, he loved the military," Ron McCloud said Monday about his son.

The proud father had learned just hours earlier that Maj. Trane McCloud had been killed in Iraq over the weekend when the helicopter he was riding in lost power.

There were 16 service members aboard the Sea Knight helicopter when it lost power and landed in a lake in Anbar province. Twelve survived; a Marine was pulled from the water but attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The bodies of three missing service members were found in a subsequent search, the military said .

"I know I am talking like a father, but I never saw a more talented person in my life. He could do anything, he could restore cars, he could do crown molding, he was good at everything."

A close examination of Trane McCloud's life demonstrates that his father was not boasting. While excelling as a military officer, McCloud also found time to make a difference for schoolteachers across the nation who teach in low-income neighborhoods. He played a key role in a loan forgiveness program for those teachers.

The McCloud family got the bad news late Sunday evening when two Marines in uniform came to their door. Details are still sketchy, but a twin-rotor CH-46 helicopter from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing experienced mechanical problems immediately after taking off from Haditha Dam in Anbar province on Sunday.

Ron McCloud said he understands the helicopter was losing altitude. The 12 Marine passengers were told to jump out into Lake Qadisiyah.

"Eight of them made it, and four of them didn't," McCloud said.

When the Marines talked with him Sunday night, they told him his body had not yet been recovered from the lake, but it was now "a recovery effort rather than a rescue effort."

Trane McCloud was born in Elizabethton, but his family moved away when he was only 2 years old. The family first went to Atlanta and later to the Detroit area, where he graduated from Grosse Pointe High School.

His father remembered him as an outstanding athlete even as a young boy. He made the All-City team in football in Detroit, playing linebacker for the Grosse Pointe team. He also stood out as a center fielder in Colt League baseball for teenagers. As a 14-year-old he told his father he was going to catch someone loafing to first after making a solid hit. He was true to his word, throwing the ball to first base from center field in time to make the out.

After graduating, McCloud went to the University of Tennessee, where he studied liberal arts and history. He graduated in 1989 and enlisted in the Marine Corps just in time for Desert Storm, during which he served on the USS Missouri. His crew fired a 5-inch gun on the starboard side during the bombardment of the Kuwaiti coastline. He also served on the ship during action in Somalia.

During his time on the ship, Ron McCloud said the ship's captain grew fond of the young Marine and encouraged him to attend Officer Candidate School. He was accepted.

His most memorable moment on board the Missouri came at Pearl Harbor, when the captain selected him to escort the first President Bush on the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The captain told Bush that his Secret Service agents could stand down because the Marines would handle his security on board the ship. McCloud told his father that Bush told him he had heard he was going to OCS, and he thought McCloud would be a fine officer.

After obtaining his commission, McCloud was assigned as an infantry officer. He was a reservist serving on active duty.

One of his assignments was with the Navy and Marine Corps News, where he produced a weekly television program that was broadcast weekly to sailors and Marines around the world.

After the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, McCloud served in the Philippines, which was also fighting an Islamic extremist insurgency.

In 2003, McCloud was assigned as a military fellow to U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, who serves on the House Committee on Armed Services.

"He really was a Marine's Marine," Wilson said after hearing about McCloud's death. "He really lived the Marine Corps (motto) of semper fidelis, which means always faithful."

Wilson's district includes the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C.

McCloud worked in the congressman's office for only a year, but during that time Wilson said "he was a trusted adviser to me as a member of the Armed Forces Committee. Wilson is also a member of the Education and Workforce Committee and found that McCloud was also helpful in that decidedly non-military area.

One of the major projects Wilson's office was working on was a teacher loan forgiveness bill for teachers in schools in low-income neighborhoods.

"The person who worked on that the hardest in 2003 was Trane McCloud," Wilson said.

The bill has since become law.

Wilson also remembers the athlete.

"He organized a Wilson Running Team for the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon," Wilson said.

The team included office staffers and Wilson's son, Julian, who is a lieutenant in the Army National Guard.

"Our whole family loved him," Wilson said. "He was truly a family member for us, and we will always remember him. He is a hero. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Maggie, and their three children."

Ron McCloud said his son also had an impact on the city of Elizabethton last summer. Ron does public relations for the Carter County Car Club. While his son was stationed in Washington last year, Ron said Trane invited him up for the Washington Autorama. Dennis Gates of the "My Classic Car" television show was filming the event.

On the spur of the moment, Ron said Trane decided to ask Gates to bring his show to the weekly Carter County car shows. Using the public relations skills he acquired with the Navy and Marine Corps News, Trane soon had an information packet about the weekly shows and scenes of nearby attractions like Watauga Lake.

They presented the packet to Gates, who was so impressed he decided to come to Elizabethton for a show. The result was the biggest car show in Elizabethton's history, with car buffs coming from several surrounding states.

"He really could do anything," McCloud said of his son.

From the Times News