DOD/DOD: September 6, 1968 (Waterbury, CT) – October 16, 2004; 36 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Kathy Martinez (1977-)
CHILDREN: Two daughters, Katelyn (2000-) and Cassidy A. (2002-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Hard Hill Rd South; Bethlehem
ENLISTMENT: 1989
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 153C-OH-58A/C Observation Pilot
UNIT: C Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment (1CDTF); Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii
FAMILY: Born to Nicholas I. (1925-1972) and Rosalie C. “Dee Dee” Dunne Brennan (1929-1997). Three brothers, Neil (1956-), Patrick J. (1957-), and Nicholas (1960-). Three sisters, Patricia Brennan Traver (1951-), Mary-Kate Brennan Scenti Trudeau (1953-), and Briana Brennan Wall (1963-). William was the youngest of his siblings and the youngest of 43 cousins.
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Army Service Ribbon, and the Aviator Badge (Senior).
CIRCUMSTANCES: Killed in a non-hostile helicopter crash involving another helicopter. The other crew member:
Army Captain Christopher B. Johnson; Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Holy Cross High School (Waterbury, CT); Class of 1986
From The Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, SD) on November 26, 2004
As a child, William Brennan liked to ride his bicycle with the family cat, Ralph, on his head. When he was older, his many nieces, nephews, and cousins called him “Uncle Buck,” after the sloppy but lovable character in the John Candy film. A goofy youngest child, Brennan made friends wherever he went. Brennan, 36, of Bethlehem, Connecticut, died October 16 when his helicopter collided with one piloted by another soldier. He leaves behind his wife, Kathy, with whom he served in the Army in Bosnia, and two daughters, Katelyn, 4, and Cassidy, 2. They live in Hawaii, where Brennan was stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field. In an Easter letter to his sister from Iraq, Brennan spoke of his fears and the prayers he said before getting into the aircraft. “It is not the fear of death that weighs me down; it is the feeling of not being there for my three girls,” he wrote. “There is a very real chance that something bad could happen, and they would never know me.”
From The Honolulu Advertiser on February 4, 2005
LACK OF WARNINGS FAULTED IN COPTER CRASH
By Ted Bridis | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Two Amy helicopters that collided over Iraq’s capital, killing two Hawaii-based pilots and injuring two others, lost sight of each other for nearly four minutes while maneuvering at night and failed to send radio warnings even after the lead helicopter circled and slowed dramatically, military investigators said. Citing its accident investigation board, the Army said the lead scout helicopter in October’s accident over southwest Baghdad slowed and made an unexpected 360-degree right turn while crews aboard the two OH-58D Kiowa helicopters could not see each other. The trailing helicopter, still flying roughly twice as fast, crashed 26 seconds later when its main rotor struck the other’s tail, the Army said. Both wrecked helicopters fell into a farm field. Investigators said the only radio signal between the helicopter crews was a single command, “Buffalo,” minutes before the crash. That was the unit’s code word to slow down and begin flying the reconnaissance assignment. The trailing helicopter’s crew replied, “Roger, Buffalo.” But in the ensuing minutes, neither crew radioed the other. “When a trail aircraft loses sight of lead, an immediate radio call must be made,” said a preliminary report published Wednesday by the U.S. Army Safety Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama. “Likewise, when the lead aircraft makes turns that are not standard during a mission, the turn direction should be called “back to trail,” the report said. The Army said its accident board recommended that military flight schools teach new procedures to pilots about warning other aircraft when they lose sight of each other. The crash on October 16 killed two pilots based in Hawaii — Chief Warrant Officer William I. Brennan, 36, of Bethlehem, Connecticut, and Captain Christopher B. Johnson, 29, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Both were aboard the trailing helicopter assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Wheeler Army Air Field. The pilots in the lead helicopter, also with the 25th Aviation Regiment, survived. Chief Warrant Officers Chad Beck and Greg Crow were rescued by a passing two-seat Apache attack helicopter; its crew tied Crow to the Apache’s fuselage to carry the injured pilots to a hospital.
From FallenHeroesMemorial.com
Hey Cheeze Box, those of us with you during flight school and OH-58A/C tactics will never forget your wit and your absolute fearlessness in the face of what we thought were terrifying flight instructors and complicated lessons. You gave us all a reason to laugh and keep studying. Farewell, brother, and here’s wishing you clear blue and 22. [Webmaster note: “clear blue and 22” is pilot lingo for clear blue skies and a 22,000-foot ceiling.]
Paddy, Jabes, and B-Squared.
“There’s not much that I can say about William that anyone who knew him doesn’t already know. When I got married to Margie, whom William affectionately called Aunt Banana (they were wrestling around once, and she made the comment that she bruised easily), he was my Best Man, and he honored me with a wonderful toast. After he was finished, I said someday I would say something wonderful about him.
Each day, I wake, dress, wash up, and put on a pot of coffee, then I walk across the room, and as I gaze across the Chesapeake Bay, I play the answering machine that sits on a table nearby. “What Cha Doing?” it asks. It’s William, and it’s been there since March. He phoned us from a pay phone somewhere in Baghdad just to say hi, ask what we’d been up to, catch up on NASCAR, etc. After we hung up, Margie and I said to each other that only Willie could find a working pay phone in Baghdad. I play it every day, and every day, I answer it even though I don’t have to anymore. He knows.
We all know he was a great brother, a loving husband and father, a friend to all he knew, a good Catholic, a scholar, a practical joker, a collector, and a courageous and honorable soldier. But to me, he’ll always, also, be my best man.
I’m not going to say goodbye but rather save us a place. We all love you, we all miss you, and so until we meet again, may God bless you and be with you.
— Love, Neil.
From The Hartford Courant on October 24, 2004
Chief Warrant Officer 3 William I. Brennan, Army helicopter pilot, 36, of Bethlehem, was killed in action in Baghdad on Saturday (October 16, 2004). William was the loving husband of Kathy Martinez Brennan and the father of Katelyn and Cassidy. William was born in Waterbury on September 6, 1968, to the late Nicholas I. and Rosalie C. (Dunne) Brennan of Bethlehem. He attended St. John the Evangelist School in Watertown and graduated in 1986 from Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, where he was on the lacrosse and wrestling teams. William was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Pine Meadow, CT 4-H Club. While attending Mattatuck Community College, he was serving in the National Guard. After receiving his associate’s degree, William joined the United States Army and pursued his dream of flying helicopters. He has served in the armed forces for 13 years, recently being deployed in January from Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii, to Iraq. In addition to his wife and daughters, Will is survived by his grandpa, Paul Horvay Sr., of Winsted, Neil and Marge Brennan of Shady Side, MD, Patrick and Katherine Brennan of Corpus Christi, TX, Nicholas of Woodbury, Patricia and Harry Traver, Mary-Kate and John Scenti all of Bethlehem and Briana and Peter Wall of Woodbury; eight nieces, nine nephews; many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends too numerous to mention individually. Calling hours will be held at the Carpino Funeral Home, 750 Main Street, South, Southbury today from 1-4 p.m. Mass will be held on Monday, October 25 at 10 a.m. at the Church of Nativity, East St., Bethlehem.
Text of a speech CW3 Brennan’s sister Briana wrote. Her nephew read it at a Memorial Day ceremony in 2022.
Good Afternoon,
Memorial Day is every day for the families that have lost a loved one in service of their country. These are the Gold Star families. The title, Gold Star, is meant to honor the servicemembers’ ultimate sacrifice while acknowledging the family’s loss, grief, and continued healing. Many Gold Star moms and dads are veterans themselves, and they want you to remember this today: Do not thank them or any other living veteran on Memorial Day. It’s about the men and women who died serving. Should you thank a veteran? Absolutely, however, Memorial Day weekend is not that time. Give the fallen this one weekend a year. Do not wish them a Happy Memorial Day because it’s anything but happy. Unless you are in their shoes, you will not know the anguish & anger this may cause. They have sacrificed a loved one and only ask for them to be remembered by the country they died for. Picnics, parades, and celebrating are great, but please take one minute at 3:00 today to bow your head in silence and honor our heroes. I am a member of a Gold Star family. My uncle, Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Brennan, was a Kiowa helicopter pilot killed in Baghdad, Iraq. He was born and raised right here in Bethlehem. His mom was a town assessor for many years, and his dad was an engineer and WW2 Navy Commander who raised the American flag every morning in the front yard. Many family members had served in our armed services, and Will shared their passion to stand up for something or someone he believed in. William was the youngest of 7, and their dad died when Will was just 3. He was a tough kid, outgoing, adventurous, and good-natured. He made friends wherever he went with his huge smile and great sense of humor. He was always busy and lived life to its fullest. He attended local catholic schools, played sports, and was active in scouting and 4H. He earned his college degree while serving in the National Guard before joining the Army and fulfilling his dream to become a pilot. He flew peacekeeping missions over Bosnia and New York City after 9-11. Before the U.S. was involved with Iraq, he was sent a petition against the war. He replied, “No one prays for peace more than a soldier, but if the U.S. goes to war with Iraq, I will be there. If I can save one person’s suffering caused by a man such as Saddam Hussein, I couldn’t care less what anybody thinks. I stand corrected; they pray for peace more than a soldier and quieter than they should have to. There are many evil people in this world, and I hope the next generation never knows the evil I have seen.” In 2003, now married with two beautiful daughters, he was stationed in Hawaii. In January 2004, his company was deployed to Iraq. Though exhausted from long hours of nighttime missions, he would find time to email or Skype. He even found time to send mementos from Iraq to the Woodbury scouts, who sent him letters and Girl Scout cookies. He missed his girls terribly but was careful not to show his concern when speaking with his wife, Kathy. Instead, he shared his fears in a letter to a sister.” I say a lot of prayers before getting into and out of the aircraft. It’s not the fear of death that weighs me down; it’s the fear of not being there for my girls. There is a very real chance that something bad could happen, and they would never know me.” In July, he was able to make it back to Hawaii for some R&R and his daughter Cassidy’s 2nd birthday, but it would become a bittersweet memory. On October 16, 2004, his helicopter crashed. He and his co-pilot, Captain Christopher Johnson, were killed instantly. William Brennan is now back home, resting right here in his beloved town of Bethlehem. They say remembrance is the highest honor. By sharing stories, memories, laughs, and tears, his girls will know what a wonderful person he was. They have made the greatest sacrifice and need to know that he is not forgotten. William believed that giving others hope was worth his life. Try to be the person who will make his girls and his loved ones believe it, too.
This stained-glass window is in the Chapel inside the John L. Levitow Healthcare Center in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, in CW3 Brennan’s honor.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brennan is buried in Main Street Cemetery (formerly Evergreen Cemetery), 152 Main Street South, Bethlehem, Connecticut; Lot 232, Grave 3.
Never seeming to end or start
Suddenly appearing in the mists at the heart
Reaching higher, ever higher
beautiful, bold, soul-searching prism,
Forever bonded, never apart
for all the world to see;
It shies away until the time is right
And then it comes with a most powerful flight,
creating a most mesmerizing sight.
For it is hard to stay shy when you are the jewel of the sky.
Beautiful and so rare, this rainbow of love,
It fills my heart, my soul, and my mind.
With an aura that will never part, never go, never blind.
It takes the two to make but one to last forever.
— William Brennan, 1991