Copter crash claims Wasilla man

WASILLA — The Mat-Su Valley’s CWO3 Shan Joseph Satterfield was one of four Army aviators who perished when two helicopters crashed Monday during training at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The son of Gary and Cynthia Satterfield, Satterfield, 32, had been on active duty since September 1997 and stationed at the Washington state base since December 2009. He also served on assignments to Korea and at Fort Campbell, Ky., and was deployed once each to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Army.

During his military service, he received two Air Medals, two Army Commendation Medals and the Aviator Badge.

A friend of the family said Satterfield’s parents had traveled from Wasilla to Washington to spend the holidays with their son and his family when the news of his death arrived.

“He’s an interesting son and honorable man,” Gary Satterfield said via email.

A team of investigators from Fort Rucker, Ala., is investigating the crash.