Mark Resh remembered

The last time Carol Resh heard from her son Mark, an Army helicopter pilot, was on Jan. 18 when he called home to wish his father, Charles, a happy 59th birthday.

"He told us that he loved us," Resh said. The next day Mark, 28, who grew up in Lowhill Township and graduated from Northwestern Lehigh High School, left Fort Hood, Texas, for a second tour in Iraq.

On Sunday, Capt. Resh died when his helicopter was shot down about 1:30 p.m. during one of the fiercest battles between Americans and Iraqi militants since the war began four years ago. The other soldier on board, Chief Warrant Officer Cornell C. Chao, 36, of California was also killed.

The U.S. Department of Defense released no details on the crash, which happened 120 miles south of Baghdad, saying it's under investigation.

But Carol Resh said she understood that Mark had volunteered for the mission near the holy city of Najaf to help Iraqi soldiers who, according to news accounts, were surprised and overwhelmed by the strength of the renegade militia.

American Apache helicopters, F-16s and British fighter jets dropped bombs and at least 250 militants were killed, the news accounts said. Both Mark T. Resh and Chao were pilots assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Their bodies were recovered by American soldiers.

Carol Resh said her son recently bought a new home in Killeen, Texas, with his girlfriend, but wasn't sure if the pair had been contemplating marriage.

"He just loved life," she said. "He loved everything he did. He was a happy-go-lucky person. I don't think I ever saw him angry at someone."

In high school, Mark Resh was a member of the National Honor Society, served on Student Council during his senior year and was captain of the varsity soccer team.

"Mark was honestly the very best of what you would hope for in a young person," said Resh's soccer coach, Paul Kleinert. "He was incredibly hard-working, dedicated and responsible. He was a leader on and off the field. His demeanor set the personality of the team."

After graduating in 1996, Resh attended the University of Pittsburgh and was in ROTC. "I asked him if he was going to play soccer at Pittsburgh, and he said, 'No, I'm going there to learn,"' Carol Resh recalled.

Devotion to his studies paid off, and he graduated summa cum laude in electrical engineering in 2001. He joined the Army that September and was accepted into flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., where he learned to fly Apache helicopters.

"The thing about Mark is, if he set his mind to do something, he accomplished it," Carol Resh said. "He was incredibly focused."

But he also had a light-hearted side. "He liked to tease, especially me," she said. "If I cried at something or got sentimental, he'd say, 'Oh no, here we go again."'

Jim Kellerman, a Scoutmaster for Resh's Boy Scout Troop, said Resh obtained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1995.

"He was very together," he said. "He had every confidence in himself. He was a quiet type of person, modest, but demonstrated a lot of leadership ability."

Kellerman said he wasn't surprised when Resh became an officer in the Army.

"Several of our Scouts have chosen that route," he said. "In the Eagle oath, you make a commitment to serve your community, your country and really, to serve the world."

Ryan Snyder played soccer with Resh from the time they were 5 years old through high school, and the two shared a love for the game and the outdoors.

"He was one of the few left-footers on the team," said Snyder, 28, of Fogelsville. "He was fast."

Snyder said he lost touch with his friend after graduation, then Resh was overseas when the class held its 10th-year high school reunion in September 2006.

"He was always a happy, smiling guy," said Snyder, a charter pilot for East Coast Jets.

Carol Resh said that when she and her husband visited their son in Texas a few weeks ago, his mood was subdued and she sensed he wasn't as enthusiastic about deploying to Iraq as he was before.

"He wasn't looking forward to it," she said.

Nonetheless, she takes comfort in knowing her son died doing what he loved.

"He lived his life to the fullest. It was a short life, but a good one," she said. "He always got what he wanted once he made up his mind and went after it."

From the Morning Call

Related Link:
Mark T. Resh killed in helicopter crash