Jacksonville.com
Friday, June 13, 1997
Report: Pilot antics led to crash
By John Fritz
Times-Union staff writer
A Navy pilot known for his on-the-edge flying style was showboating in his Jacksonville-based helicopter when it crashed last year in the Persian Gulf, killing himself and two others, a report said.
The Navy investigation into the Oct. 25, 1996, crash also revealed ''a disturbing history of a command where some of the squadron's pilots were routinely flying aircraft beyond [safe operating] limits,'' the crash report said.
The pilot in this case, Lt. Robert Scott Wood Jr. of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron15, was doing an unauthorized ''course reversal'' maneuver to the thrill of his Navy SEAL passengers when the HH-60H helicopter hit the water, the report said.
Wood, along with another Jacksonville-based HS-15 pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Allen Hilliard, and a Navy SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Mark Voight of Waverly, Ga., were killed in the crash. Nine other people survived.
Helicopter wing and squadron officials at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, where HS-15 is based, declined comment.
The report said a safety briefing was held to make sure all pilots are aware that unsafe flying is ''unacceptable - period.''
Obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, the report portrays Wood as a top pilot in his squadron, but one who pushed the helicopter to its limit and beyond.
''It was well known that Lt. Wood was a 'hot dog' in the aircraft. He did everything to the extreme,'' said one person, whose name was whited out of the report by the Navy.
The report notes that Wood, who felt he had mastered the helicopter and wanted to fly jets, was known as ''Stamp,'' because he flew at the edge of the envelope.
The morning of the crash, Wood and crew had finished a ship boarding exercise and were waiting to land on the USS Enterprise when the pilots decided to do some maneuvers - sharp turns, rocking left to right and ''porpoising'' up and down, the report said.
''The passengers enjoyed the maneuvers, laughing and encouraging the pilots on,'' the report said.
Wood, the co-pilot, said there was time for one more ''course reversal'' maneuver before landing. According to the report, he put the helicopter into a steep, 60-degree climb. At the top of the climb, the aircraft came to a virtual stop, giving the passengers the feel of floating.
He then spun the helicopter 180 degrees, pointed it nose down and increased the air speed. The aircraft, however, came out of the dive too low and crashed into the water.
''We were almost level, when I realized we were too close,'' said an unnamed passenger on board. ''The helo's nose was buried into the water, throwing all of us forward. I was under water for a while getting the 'washing machine' ride."
Another passenger in the report said he looked toward the door and saw that the helicopter was very low.
''I felt an extremely hard slam and heard a roaring and cracking sound,'' he said. ''I felt myself doing back flips, then I was in the water. When I popped to the surface, I saw wreckage all around me, and I pulled [inflated] my life jacket.''
The report faults Wood for prohibited ''flat hatting,'' or conducting maneuvers at high speed or low altitude to get a thrill. Hilliard is blamed for for failing to exercise his duties as the helicopter commander to ensure the safety of the flight.
The report also criticizes the former squadron commander, Cmdr. Howard S. Bayes Jr., for failing to ''maintain a command climate which ensured a safe operating environment.'' Bayes was relieved of his command as the result of the investigation.
The report said some officers thought a conservative pilot was not as good as a more aggressive one and felt some of their colleagues were ''driving the hot rod like the station wagon.''
The report says Bayes either was not aware flights that exceeded safety limits were routinely taking place or that he failed to take action to correct the problem.
There were numerous indicators, the report concluded, that Wood was potentially at risk, but most of them went unchecked. The commanding officer, it said, was not fully briefed on many previous potential flight dangers until after the crash.
Only a few days before the crash, for example, the report said the 30-year-old Wood had performed an ''aggressive maneuver'' in which he headed directly for a merchant ship then did a high-speed buttonhook turn around it.
Bayes told investigators he served Wood a ''stern warning'' about his airmanship on Oct. 22 after Wood put his helicopter into an excessive nose-down attitude and bank during a carrier takeoff and landing.
----
Steven M. Voigt
Found at Veteran Tributs: http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=2194
Rank, Service: Petty Officer First Class E-6, U.S. Navy
Veteran of: U.S. Navy 1981-1996, Cold War 1981-1991
Tribute:
Steven Voigt was born on August 10, 1962, in Waverly, Georgia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on July 23, 1981, and went on active duty to begin basic training on September 21, 1981. Voigt completed basic training at NTC San Diego, California, in November 1981, and then attended Aircrew School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, from November 1981 to February 1982. After attending additional training at NATTC Millington, Tennessee, Petty Officer Voigt attended SH-3 Sea King aircrew training and rescue swimmer training at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron ONE (HS-1) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. He then remained with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), until June 1986, when he joined HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville. Petty Officer Voigt served with HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) from June 1986 to November 1988, followed by service back with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville from November 1988 to December 1990. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, from December 1990 to October 1991, and then attended Basic Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in October and November 1991. His next assignment was with SEAL Team EIGHT at NAB Little Creek, Virginia, from December 1991 until he was killed in the crash of an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter in the Persian Gulf on October 25, 1996. Steven Voigt was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Waycross, Georgia.
His Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Citation reads:
For meritorious service while serving as training department leading Petty Officer and Echo Platoon engineering representative at SEAL Team EIGHT from December 1991 to October 1996. Petty Officer VOIGT's superior leadership and organizational skill insured Echo Platoon's readiness and 100 percent mission success during Joint Task Group 96-2 deployment aboard USS Enterprise in support of Operations "DECISIVE ENDEAVOR," "SOUTHERN WATCH," and during two Sixth Fleet exercises. His unique ability to motivate his teammates and coordinate over 50 stand-by alert status logistical requirements significantly enhanced mission readiness. Petty Officer VOIGT's professionalism and devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Friday, June 13, 1997
Report: Pilot antics led to crash
By John Fritz
Times-Union staff writer
A Navy pilot known for his on-the-edge flying style was showboating in his Jacksonville-based helicopter when it crashed last year in the Persian Gulf, killing himself and two others, a report said.
The Navy investigation into the Oct. 25, 1996, crash also revealed ''a disturbing history of a command where some of the squadron's pilots were routinely flying aircraft beyond [safe operating] limits,'' the crash report said.
The pilot in this case, Lt. Robert Scott Wood Jr. of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron15, was doing an unauthorized ''course reversal'' maneuver to the thrill of his Navy SEAL passengers when the HH-60H helicopter hit the water, the report said.
Wood, along with another Jacksonville-based HS-15 pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Allen Hilliard, and a Navy SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Mark Voight of Waverly, Ga., were killed in the crash. Nine other people survived.
Helicopter wing and squadron officials at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, where HS-15 is based, declined comment.
The report said a safety briefing was held to make sure all pilots are aware that unsafe flying is ''unacceptable - period.''
Obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, the report portrays Wood as a top pilot in his squadron, but one who pushed the helicopter to its limit and beyond.
''It was well known that Lt. Wood was a 'hot dog' in the aircraft. He did everything to the extreme,'' said one person, whose name was whited out of the report by the Navy.
The report notes that Wood, who felt he had mastered the helicopter and wanted to fly jets, was known as ''Stamp,'' because he flew at the edge of the envelope.
The morning of the crash, Wood and crew had finished a ship boarding exercise and were waiting to land on the USS Enterprise when the pilots decided to do some maneuvers - sharp turns, rocking left to right and ''porpoising'' up and down, the report said.
''The passengers enjoyed the maneuvers, laughing and encouraging the pilots on,'' the report said.
Wood, the co-pilot, said there was time for one more ''course reversal'' maneuver before landing. According to the report, he put the helicopter into a steep, 60-degree climb. At the top of the climb, the aircraft came to a virtual stop, giving the passengers the feel of floating.
He then spun the helicopter 180 degrees, pointed it nose down and increased the air speed. The aircraft, however, came out of the dive too low and crashed into the water.
''We were almost level, when I realized we were too close,'' said an unnamed passenger on board. ''The helo's nose was buried into the water, throwing all of us forward. I was under water for a while getting the 'washing machine' ride."
Another passenger in the report said he looked toward the door and saw that the helicopter was very low.
''I felt an extremely hard slam and heard a roaring and cracking sound,'' he said. ''I felt myself doing back flips, then I was in the water. When I popped to the surface, I saw wreckage all around me, and I pulled [inflated] my life jacket.''
The report faults Wood for prohibited ''flat hatting,'' or conducting maneuvers at high speed or low altitude to get a thrill. Hilliard is blamed for for failing to exercise his duties as the helicopter commander to ensure the safety of the flight.
The report also criticizes the former squadron commander, Cmdr. Howard S. Bayes Jr., for failing to ''maintain a command climate which ensured a safe operating environment.'' Bayes was relieved of his command as the result of the investigation.
The report said some officers thought a conservative pilot was not as good as a more aggressive one and felt some of their colleagues were ''driving the hot rod like the station wagon.''
The report says Bayes either was not aware flights that exceeded safety limits were routinely taking place or that he failed to take action to correct the problem.
There were numerous indicators, the report concluded, that Wood was potentially at risk, but most of them went unchecked. The commanding officer, it said, was not fully briefed on many previous potential flight dangers until after the crash.
Only a few days before the crash, for example, the report said the 30-year-old Wood had performed an ''aggressive maneuver'' in which he headed directly for a merchant ship then did a high-speed buttonhook turn around it.
Bayes told investigators he served Wood a ''stern warning'' about his airmanship on Oct. 22 after Wood put his helicopter into an excessive nose-down attitude and bank during a carrier takeoff and landing.
----
Steven M. Voigt
Found at Veteran Tributs: http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=2194
Rank, Service: Petty Officer First Class E-6, U.S. Navy
Veteran of: U.S. Navy 1981-1996, Cold War 1981-1991
Tribute:
Steven Voigt was born on August 10, 1962, in Waverly, Georgia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on July 23, 1981, and went on active duty to begin basic training on September 21, 1981. Voigt completed basic training at NTC San Diego, California, in November 1981, and then attended Aircrew School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, from November 1981 to February 1982. After attending additional training at NATTC Millington, Tennessee, Petty Officer Voigt attended SH-3 Sea King aircrew training and rescue swimmer training at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron ONE (HS-1) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. He then remained with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), until June 1986, when he joined HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville. Petty Officer Voigt served with HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) from June 1986 to November 1988, followed by service back with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville from November 1988 to December 1990. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, from December 1990 to October 1991, and then attended Basic Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in October and November 1991. His next assignment was with SEAL Team EIGHT at NAB Little Creek, Virginia, from December 1991 until he was killed in the crash of an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter in the Persian Gulf on October 25, 1996. Steven Voigt was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Waycross, Georgia.
His Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Citation reads:
For meritorious service while serving as training department leading Petty Officer and Echo Platoon engineering representative at SEAL Team EIGHT from December 1991 to October 1996. Petty Officer VOIGT's superior leadership and organizational skill insured Echo Platoon's readiness and 100 percent mission success during Joint Task Group 96-2 deployment aboard USS Enterprise in support of Operations "DECISIVE ENDEAVOR," "SOUTHERN WATCH," and during two Sixth Fleet exercises. His unique ability to motivate his teammates and coordinate over 50 stand-by alert status logistical requirements significantly enhanced mission readiness. Petty Officer VOIGT's professionalism and devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Jacksonville.com
Friday, June 13, 1997
Report: Pilot antics led to crash
By John Fritz
Times-Union staff writer
A Navy pilot known for his on-the-edge flying style was showboating in his Jacksonville-based helicopter when it crashed last year in the Persian Gulf, killing himself and two others, a report said.
The Navy investigation into the Oct. 25, 1996, crash also revealed ''a disturbing history of a command where some of the squadron's pilots were routinely flying aircraft beyond [safe operating] limits,'' the crash report said.
The pilot in this case, Lt. Robert Scott Wood Jr. of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron15, was doing an unauthorized ''course reversal'' maneuver to the thrill of his Navy SEAL passengers when the HH-60H helicopter hit the water, the report said.
Wood, along with another Jacksonville-based HS-15 pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Allen Hilliard, and a Navy SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Mark Voight of Waverly, Ga., were killed in the crash. Nine other people survived.
Helicopter wing and squadron officials at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, where HS-15 is based, declined comment.
The report said a safety briefing was held to make sure all pilots are aware that unsafe flying is ''unacceptable - period.''
Obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, the report portrays Wood as a top pilot in his squadron, but one who pushed the helicopter to its limit and beyond.
''It was well known that Lt. Wood was a 'hot dog' in the aircraft. He did everything to the extreme,'' said one person, whose name was whited out of the report by the Navy.
The report notes that Wood, who felt he had mastered the helicopter and wanted to fly jets, was known as ''Stamp,'' because he flew at the edge of the envelope.
The morning of the crash, Wood and crew had finished a ship boarding exercise and were waiting to land on the USS Enterprise when the pilots decided to do some maneuvers - sharp turns, rocking left to right and ''porpoising'' up and down, the report said.
''The passengers enjoyed the maneuvers, laughing and encouraging the pilots on,'' the report said.
Wood, the co-pilot, said there was time for one more ''course reversal'' maneuver before landing. According to the report, he put the helicopter into a steep, 60-degree climb. At the top of the climb, the aircraft came to a virtual stop, giving the passengers the feel of floating.
He then spun the helicopter 180 degrees, pointed it nose down and increased the air speed. The aircraft, however, came out of the dive too low and crashed into the water.
''We were almost level, when I realized we were too close,'' said an unnamed passenger on board. ''The helo's nose was buried into the water, throwing all of us forward. I was under water for a while getting the 'washing machine' ride."
Another passenger in the report said he looked toward the door and saw that the helicopter was very low.
''I felt an extremely hard slam and heard a roaring and cracking sound,'' he said. ''I felt myself doing back flips, then I was in the water. When I popped to the surface, I saw wreckage all around me, and I pulled [inflated] my life jacket.''
The report faults Wood for prohibited ''flat hatting,'' or conducting maneuvers at high speed or low altitude to get a thrill. Hilliard is blamed for for failing to exercise his duties as the helicopter commander to ensure the safety of the flight.
The report also criticizes the former squadron commander, Cmdr. Howard S. Bayes Jr., for failing to ''maintain a command climate which ensured a safe operating environment.'' Bayes was relieved of his command as the result of the investigation.
The report said some officers thought a conservative pilot was not as good as a more aggressive one and felt some of their colleagues were ''driving the hot rod like the station wagon.''
The report says Bayes either was not aware flights that exceeded safety limits were routinely taking place or that he failed to take action to correct the problem.
There were numerous indicators, the report concluded, that Wood was potentially at risk, but most of them went unchecked. The commanding officer, it said, was not fully briefed on many previous potential flight dangers until after the crash.
Only a few days before the crash, for example, the report said the 30-year-old Wood had performed an ''aggressive maneuver'' in which he headed directly for a merchant ship then did a high-speed buttonhook turn around it.
Bayes told investigators he served Wood a ''stern warning'' about his airmanship on Oct. 22 after Wood put his helicopter into an excessive nose-down attitude and bank during a carrier takeoff and landing.
----
Steven M. Voigt
Found at Veteran Tributs: http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=2194
Rank, Service: Petty Officer First Class E-6, U.S. Navy
Veteran of: U.S. Navy 1981-1996, Cold War 1981-1991
Tribute:
Steven Voigt was born on August 10, 1962, in Waverly, Georgia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on July 23, 1981, and went on active duty to begin basic training on September 21, 1981. Voigt completed basic training at NTC San Diego, California, in November 1981, and then attended Aircrew School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, from November 1981 to February 1982. After attending additional training at NATTC Millington, Tennessee, Petty Officer Voigt attended SH-3 Sea King aircrew training and rescue swimmer training at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron ONE (HS-1) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. He then remained with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), until June 1986, when he joined HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville. Petty Officer Voigt served with HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) from June 1986 to November 1988, followed by service back with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville from November 1988 to December 1990. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, from December 1990 to October 1991, and then attended Basic Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in October and November 1991. His next assignment was with SEAL Team EIGHT at NAB Little Creek, Virginia, from December 1991 until he was killed in the crash of an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter in the Persian Gulf on October 25, 1996. Steven Voigt was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Waycross, Georgia.
His Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Citation reads:
For meritorious service while serving as training department leading Petty Officer and Echo Platoon engineering representative at SEAL Team EIGHT from December 1991 to October 1996. Petty Officer VOIGT's superior leadership and organizational skill insured Echo Platoon's readiness and 100 percent mission success during Joint Task Group 96-2 deployment aboard USS Enterprise in support of Operations "DECISIVE ENDEAVOR," "SOUTHERN WATCH," and during two Sixth Fleet exercises. His unique ability to motivate his teammates and coordinate over 50 stand-by alert status logistical requirements significantly enhanced mission readiness. Petty Officer VOIGT's professionalism and devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Friday, June 13, 1997
Report: Pilot antics led to crash
By John Fritz
Times-Union staff writer
A Navy pilot known for his on-the-edge flying style was showboating in his Jacksonville-based helicopter when it crashed last year in the Persian Gulf, killing himself and two others, a report said.
The Navy investigation into the Oct. 25, 1996, crash also revealed ''a disturbing history of a command where some of the squadron's pilots were routinely flying aircraft beyond [safe operating] limits,'' the crash report said.
The pilot in this case, Lt. Robert Scott Wood Jr. of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron15, was doing an unauthorized ''course reversal'' maneuver to the thrill of his Navy SEAL passengers when the HH-60H helicopter hit the water, the report said.
Wood, along with another Jacksonville-based HS-15 pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Allen Hilliard, and a Navy SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Mark Voight of Waverly, Ga., were killed in the crash. Nine other people survived.
Helicopter wing and squadron officials at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, where HS-15 is based, declined comment.
The report said a safety briefing was held to make sure all pilots are aware that unsafe flying is ''unacceptable - period.''
Obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, the report portrays Wood as a top pilot in his squadron, but one who pushed the helicopter to its limit and beyond.
''It was well known that Lt. Wood was a 'hot dog' in the aircraft. He did everything to the extreme,'' said one person, whose name was whited out of the report by the Navy.
The report notes that Wood, who felt he had mastered the helicopter and wanted to fly jets, was known as ''Stamp,'' because he flew at the edge of the envelope.
The morning of the crash, Wood and crew had finished a ship boarding exercise and were waiting to land on the USS Enterprise when the pilots decided to do some maneuvers - sharp turns, rocking left to right and ''porpoising'' up and down, the report said.
''The passengers enjoyed the maneuvers, laughing and encouraging the pilots on,'' the report said.
Wood, the co-pilot, said there was time for one more ''course reversal'' maneuver before landing. According to the report, he put the helicopter into a steep, 60-degree climb. At the top of the climb, the aircraft came to a virtual stop, giving the passengers the feel of floating.
He then spun the helicopter 180 degrees, pointed it nose down and increased the air speed. The aircraft, however, came out of the dive too low and crashed into the water.
''We were almost level, when I realized we were too close,'' said an unnamed passenger on board. ''The helo's nose was buried into the water, throwing all of us forward. I was under water for a while getting the 'washing machine' ride."
Another passenger in the report said he looked toward the door and saw that the helicopter was very low.
''I felt an extremely hard slam and heard a roaring and cracking sound,'' he said. ''I felt myself doing back flips, then I was in the water. When I popped to the surface, I saw wreckage all around me, and I pulled [inflated] my life jacket.''
The report faults Wood for prohibited ''flat hatting,'' or conducting maneuvers at high speed or low altitude to get a thrill. Hilliard is blamed for for failing to exercise his duties as the helicopter commander to ensure the safety of the flight.
The report also criticizes the former squadron commander, Cmdr. Howard S. Bayes Jr., for failing to ''maintain a command climate which ensured a safe operating environment.'' Bayes was relieved of his command as the result of the investigation.
The report said some officers thought a conservative pilot was not as good as a more aggressive one and felt some of their colleagues were ''driving the hot rod like the station wagon.''
The report says Bayes either was not aware flights that exceeded safety limits were routinely taking place or that he failed to take action to correct the problem.
There were numerous indicators, the report concluded, that Wood was potentially at risk, but most of them went unchecked. The commanding officer, it said, was not fully briefed on many previous potential flight dangers until after the crash.
Only a few days before the crash, for example, the report said the 30-year-old Wood had performed an ''aggressive maneuver'' in which he headed directly for a merchant ship then did a high-speed buttonhook turn around it.
Bayes told investigators he served Wood a ''stern warning'' about his airmanship on Oct. 22 after Wood put his helicopter into an excessive nose-down attitude and bank during a carrier takeoff and landing.
----
Steven M. Voigt
Found at Veteran Tributs: http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=2194
Rank, Service: Petty Officer First Class E-6, U.S. Navy
Veteran of: U.S. Navy 1981-1996, Cold War 1981-1991
Tribute:
Steven Voigt was born on August 10, 1962, in Waverly, Georgia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on July 23, 1981, and went on active duty to begin basic training on September 21, 1981. Voigt completed basic training at NTC San Diego, California, in November 1981, and then attended Aircrew School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, from November 1981 to February 1982. After attending additional training at NATTC Millington, Tennessee, Petty Officer Voigt attended SH-3 Sea King aircrew training and rescue swimmer training at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron ONE (HS-1) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. He then remained with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), until June 1986, when he joined HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville. Petty Officer Voigt served with HS-9 at NAS Jacksonville, and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) from June 1986 to November 1988, followed by service back with HS-1 at NAS Jacksonville from November 1988 to December 1990. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, from December 1990 to October 1991, and then attended Basic Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in October and November 1991. His next assignment was with SEAL Team EIGHT at NAB Little Creek, Virginia, from December 1991 until he was killed in the crash of an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter in the Persian Gulf on October 25, 1996. Steven Voigt was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Waycross, Georgia.
His Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Citation reads:
For meritorious service while serving as training department leading Petty Officer and Echo Platoon engineering representative at SEAL Team EIGHT from December 1991 to October 1996. Petty Officer VOIGT's superior leadership and organizational skill insured Echo Platoon's readiness and 100 percent mission success during Joint Task Group 96-2 deployment aboard USS Enterprise in support of Operations "DECISIVE ENDEAVOR," "SOUTHERN WATCH," and during two Sixth Fleet exercises. His unique ability to motivate his teammates and coordinate over 50 stand-by alert status logistical requirements significantly enhanced mission readiness. Petty Officer VOIGT's professionalism and devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Inscription
BM1 US Navy, Seal Team Eight
He gave joy to all of us
