DOB/DOD: September 2, 1982 (Norwich, CT) – May 28, 2007; 24 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Engaged to be married to Meghan Lenehan (1982-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Scotland Road; Norwich
ENLISTMENT: Commissioned May 2005
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 15A; Aviation, General
UNIT: Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
FAMILY: Born to Kerry S. (1953-) and Maureen A. O’Brien Heidtman Robidoux (1953-). Stepfather, Arthur A. Robidoux (1954-). One sister, Keely J. Heidtman LaPointe (1980-).
CIRCUMSTANCES: Died from wounds sustained when his OH-58D Kiowa helicopter crashed after receiving heavy enemy fire during combat operations. Also killed in the incident:
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Theodore U. “Tuc” Church; Hazard, Kentucky
Norwich Free Academy; Class of 2001. Photos are from the 1999 yearbook.
University of Connecticut, Class of 2005. Keith was an ROTC cadet and a Distinguished Military Graduate.
From The Associated Press
Norwich soldier dies in helicopter crash in Iraq
NORWICH, Connecticut — A helicopter crash in Iraq on Memorial Day claimed the life of a Norwich soldier, the governor’s office said on May 29. Army 1st Lieutenant Keith Heidtman, 24, was the 37th military member with Connecticut ties to die since the war began in 2002. Two Connecticut civilians have also been killed. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered all state and U.S. flags lowered to half-staff in Heidtman’s honor. “Lieutenant Heidtman made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, and he did so to protect the freedom that we so often take for granted,” Rell said in a statement. “To have given his life on Memorial Day is especially poignant.” Heidtman was one of 10 U.S. soldiers who died in roadside bombings and the helicopter crash on May 28, the military reported, making May the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq. The American deaths raised the number of U.S. forces killed this month to at least 112, according to an Associated Press count assembled from U.S. military statements. Eight of the soldiers were from Task Force Lightning — six were killed when explosions hit near their vehicles, and two died in a helicopter crash. The military did not say if the helicopter was shot down or had mechanical problems. Heidtman was a 2001 graduate of Norwich Free Academy and a graduate of the University of Connecticut. His parents were notified on May 29. He was the son of Kerry Heidtman and Maureen Robidoux. His stepfather is Art Robidoux. A phone message from the Associated Press was left at his family’s home. “If you had to pick your son, this is who you would pick. He was handsome, he was bright,” Kerry Heidtman told The Day of New London. Heidtman arrived in Iraq in December and was scheduled to come home for leave in July. “We’re sending our finest, and we’re losing them,” Kerry Heidtman said.
From The Day (New London, CT) on June 9, 2007
By Julie Wernau and Claire Bessette | Day Staff Writers
1ST LT KEITH HEIDTMAN HONORED IN HUSHED RESPECT
NORWICH — It was a scene marked by silence. Mourners, civilian and military alike, walked wordlessly along the sidewalks at St. Patrick Cathedral Friday, filing into the funeral service for 24-year-old 1st Lieutenant Keith Neal Heidtman, who died on Memorial Day when enemy fire downed his helicopter in Iraq. Representatives of all branches of the military stood at attention before the cathedral, and as the funeral procession idled in front of the church, police officers silently saluted Heidtman’s family. With only the sound of their footsteps to be heard, Connecticut soldiers of the Army National Guard carried Heidtman’s flag-draped coffin into the cathedral. Leather-clad bikers and veterans lined both sides of the street, holding American flags in a prolonged, silent show of support. Most notable was the silence of the Westboro Baptist Church, whose anti-gay members were absent. The Kansas group had vowed to protest at the service in order to spread its message that God is killing U.S. soldiers abroad in response to America’s tolerance of homosexuality. In anticipation of Friday’s funeral, the Connecticut legislature moved up the effective date of a new law restricting protests at funerals and memorial services. The law went into effect this week and forces protesters to stand at least 150 feet away from the entrance or boundary of a church or cemetery from an hour before to an hour after a funeral service. The funeral Mass was scheduled to begin at 10 but started about 15 minutes late. Reporters and photographers were not allowed inside the cathedral, but military officials provided a copy of the homily delivered by Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Kevin P. Cavanaugh. “Although we can no longer see or touch him on this earth, we believe that we will meet Keith again when we are reunited with him in heaven,” he said. “The death of someone dear is always difficult for their friends to bear. But to lose a child, a grandson, a younger brother, a nephew, a boyfriend — that brings especially great pain. It’s not in the normal order of things.” Heidtman’s friends from military and civilian life contributed remarks and memories that the chaplain included in the homily. Cavanaugh told the family members that their support of Heidtman in his military career was “a selfless act.” The family and more than 100 mourners arrived at St. Joseph’s Cemetery at 12:45, but people had been gathering for more than two hours to pay their respects and show support. By 11 a.m., a procession of more than 200 motorcycles, most bearing American flags, lined both sides of the road where the hearse would arrive. Joining the Patriot Guard Riders were the Connecticut Rolling Flags, the New London County Motorcycle Club, the American Legion Riders, the Star Veteran Riders, and other clubs. Heidtman was an Army helicopter pilot. He was co-piloting an observation helicopter north of Baghdad when it was shot down on May 25. Helicopter tributes were many. Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Coffindaffer of Oxford, a helicopter pilot and president of the Sikorsky Veterans’ Association, brought a flag that had draped the casket of a World War II veteran. The flag bearers stood at attention as bagpiper Robert Scent of Gales Ferry played. All else fell silent as the flag bearers moved into position to ring the gravesite ceremony. Chaplain Cavanaugh presided over a brief ceremony, and a Connecticut National Guard rifle team fired a salute. Trumpeter Chief Warrant Officer Mark Cummings played Taps, his notes carrying far on the warm, sunny afternoon. Two Connecticut National Guard Blackhawk helicopters flew over the cemetery at low altitude. As they disappeared and the noise faded, Scent struck up “Amazing Grace” to conclude the ceremony. As flags were furled and military groups marched away, family members and close friends lingered in the shady area that surrounded Heidtman’s grave a while longer, hugging one another and shedding tears.
Monument at the intersection of Washington Street and Williams Street, Norwich, Connecticut.
Lieutenant Heidtman is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, 815 Boswell Avenue, Norwich, Connecticut; Section P, Lot 141, Grave 1.
