Father mourns Afghanistan death
Port Orange man's son killed Friday in Army helicopter crashKen Ma and Rebecca Mahoney Sentinel Staff Writers
PORT ORANGE -- An Army officer whose father lives in Volusia County was among 10 soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the military said Wednesday.Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty Jr., 41, of Watertown, N.Y., was killed Friday when the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter fell into a ravine during a mountaintop landing in Kunar Province.Fenty was the commander of the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, The Associated Press reported.His father, also named Joseph Fenty, lives in Port Orange. He did not want to comment Wednesday night. A neighbor, who would not give her name, said the family was told about Fenty's death during the weekend."It's a terrible tragedy," she said.Fenty became a commissioned officer in June 1986 after graduating from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., AP reported. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division in 1997 and was deployed to Bosnia, then to Afghanistan in March 2002.In June 2004, he took command of the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, a part of the division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, AP reported.He is survived by his wife, Kristen; a daughter; and his parents.Three other soldiers from Fenty's unit were killed. The six other soldiers who were killed were assigned to the division's 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment.Last year, Fenty was among about 230 officers from the 10th Mountain Brigade Combat Team who participated in a 10.4-mile motivational brigade run. In an interview with the Fort Drum Blizzard, a military newsletter, Fenty hailed his fellow officers for their spirit of cooperation and partnership."I think it was awesome to get all the brigade officers out there with a team-building focus," he said. "And most importantly, they were all together at the finish line cheering each other on."