Anna Simon - Kimberlys Flight: The Story of Captain Kimberly Hampton, Americas First Woman Combat Pilot Killed in Battle

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copyright 2012 by Anna Simon and Ann Hampton

978-1-4804-0656-8

Casemate Publishing
908 Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishing.com

This edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media
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MISSION OF THE OH-58D KIOWA WARRIOR:

Conduct armed reconnaissance, security, target acquisition and designation, command and control, light attack and defensive air combat missions in support of combat and contingency operations.

An OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter provides close air support during operations in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Jacob N. Bailey (USAF), defenseimagery.mil

TECHNICAL DATA:

Crew: 2

Max Gross Weight: 5,500 lbs (armed)

Empty Weight: 3,289 lbs

Height: 12 ft, 10.6 in

Width: 6 ft, 5.4 in

Length: 33 ft, 4 in

Rotor Diameter: 35 ft

Max Cruise Speed: 128 mph

Range: 299 miles (sea level, no weapons, 10% reserve)

Ceiling: 19,000 ft

Armament: Air-to-air Stinger (ATAS) (2 round launcher); .50 caliber machine gun (500 rounds);
HYDRA 70 (2.75 in) rockets (7-shot pod); HELLFIRE missiles (2-round launcher)

For every parent who has lost a child
And for those who serve and have served in our military services

In memory of

U.S. ARMY CAPTAIN KIMBERLY HAMPTON

August 18, 1976January 2, 2004

First American female pilot killed in action by the enemy

I am seeking, I am striving,
I am in it with all my heart.

Vincent Van Gogh

By Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV Commander of the U.S. Armys 82nd Airborne Division, May 2004June 2006

I have so much respect for Capt. Kimberly Hampton, and speak about her courageous example so often, that people are always surprised when they discover that I never actually met her. They tell me that given the depth of my admiration for Kimberly, and the warmth with which I speak of her, they assume we must have been family friends or that we had served together multiple times.

The truth of how I came to know and admire Kimberly is, like so much in life, more complicated.

I took command of the 82nd Airborne Division on 28 May, 2004. Assuming the mantle of leadership for a division as steeped in prestige and tradition as the 82nd Airborne would be daunting under any circumstances, but it was even more challenging given that I was taking command while the division was in the midst of not one, but two simultaneous ground wars. I knew the 82nd had lost a number of paratroopers in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. In order to get a better sense of the divisions losses in the Global War on Terror, one of my first requests upon settling in as Commander was to view the book of the 82nds fallen heroes.

As I pored over the list of paratroopers who had given their lives for their nation, one entry stood out:

CAPTAIN KIMBERLY HAMPTON, 2 JANUARY 2004, FALLUJAH, IRAQ

A little research quickly confirmed my intuition that Kimberly was the first female soldier in the history of the 82nd Airborne to lose her life in combat. In addition, she was the first female pilot killed by enemy fire in Unites States history.

The significance of these facts goes far beyond mere trivia. It testifies to Kimberlys pioneer spirit, and it begins to illuminate the strength of her character.

It would be an understatement to describe the prevailing culture of the 82nd Airborne as macho. Not only does the act of jumping out of an airplane into the total darkness of night from a mere eight hundred feet above the ground require an aversion to risk most commonly found in testosterone-laden young males, but the physical rigors of jumping with more than one hundred pounds of combat equipment strapped to ones person challenges even the fittest male, not to mention typically lighter females. Consequently, women were not allowed to serve in the 82nd Airborne until 1979. Even today, these challenges remain large enough hurdles that the Division remains 90 to 95% male. This simple statistic says much about Captain Hamptons dedication and toughness.

It says even more about Kimberly that of all the military specialties available to her based upon her stellar career as a cadet at Presbyterian College, she chose combat attack aviation. While most aspiring helicopter pilots in the army, men and women alike, choose to serve as Blackhawk or Chinook pilots who ferry troops about the battlefield, Kimberly chose the far more dangerous path of becoming an OH-58 Kiowa pilot. This specialty meant that her mission was to actively seek out and engage the enemy, and it has only been open to women since the 1990s. She subsequently became one of the first female combat aviation commanders in the history of the 82nd Airborne. It was this decision which inevitably put her at the frontlines outside Fallujah, Iraq, on a fateful winter day.

Intrigued by her groundbreaking role, I began asking others in the division about Captain Hampton. Her peers shared with me the fact that she was absolutely loved by her troops. Her superior officers told me what a strong role model she provided for other paratroopers, and that she had the qualities and characteristics that marked her as a future general officer. Command Sergeant Major Wolf Amacker, the 82nds most senior noncommissioned officer, spoke of Kimberlys intensity, dedication, and compassion with pride and respect. He remembered that she was always smiling, and how contagious that smile was to everybody around her.

I have seen its reflection, but I wish I could have seen this smile in person.

Because of these tributes, I asked to meet Kimberlys parents, Ann and Dale Hampton. Seeing a child die young is an unnatural tragedy, and parents who lose a child in war react in a variety of ways. Understandably, some become withdrawn and have difficulty focusing on anything but their loss, even as the conflict rages on. Some become consumed by anger and rail against the causes and creeds their loved ones chose to serve. But Ann and Dale have followed a different path. They have internalized the values of selfless service and commitment. They talked proudly of Kimberlys dedication and why she chose a life of service. As we spoke, I began to realize where Kimberly drew her strength of character from all along and why she was such a perfect fit for the 82nd Airborne.