Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan., died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan. Chief Warrant Officer Nichols was considered a top pilot. Piloting was his dream and he became one of his unit's best, a rising star in its stable of skilled pilots. He was married with a ten-year-old son. He was just two weeks from coming home on leave. Bryan was eager to get back to flying after a stint handling paperwork as a unit administrator. So when the word went out that people were needed to train for a mobilization, Nichols volunteered. Lt. Col. Richard Sherman, former commander of Nichols' unit, said one of his favorite memories is flying a pace car with Nichols to the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. "My happiest and saddest memories are now tied to him," said Sherman, who was in command and working as an instructional pilot when Nichols joined his unit. "He had no enemies. He was one everyone wanted to be around. You just liked flying with him because you knew he was going to improve as a young pilot and get better every time you flew with him." Bryan was born the son of Douglas and Cynthia (Karlin) Nichols. On October 7, 2006 he married Mary Hammerbacher in Frontenac, Kansas. Bryan was a 1998 graduate of TMP-Marian High School in Hays and enlisted in the Army in 1996. Survivors include his wife Mary, of the home in Kansas City, Missouri, son Braydon Nichols of Kansas City, KS, parents Douglas and Cynthia Nichols of Palco, Kansas, brothers, Monte and wife Angie Nichols of Cypress, TX, Brandon and wife Heather Nichols of Sierra Vista, AZ, sister, Nicole and husband Roy Robles of San Diego, CA, and nieces and nephews, Farra, Natalie, Ellen, Abby, Cole, and Chase. He was preceded in death by grandparents, Carl and Alma Nichols and Joe E. and Marcella Karlin.
Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan., died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan. Chief Warrant Officer Nichols was considered a top pilot. Piloting was his dream and he became one of his unit's best, a rising star in its stable of skilled pilots. He was married with a ten-year-old son. He was just two weeks from coming home on leave. Bryan was eager to get back to flying after a stint handling paperwork as a unit administrator. So when the word went out that people were needed to train for a mobilization, Nichols volunteered. Lt. Col. Richard Sherman, former commander of Nichols' unit, said one of his favorite memories is flying a pace car with Nichols to the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. "My happiest and saddest memories are now tied to him," said Sherman, who was in command and working as an instructional pilot when Nichols joined his unit. "He had no enemies. He was one everyone wanted to be around. You just liked flying with him because you knew he was going to improve as a young pilot and get better every time you flew with him." Bryan was born the son of Douglas and Cynthia (Karlin) Nichols. On October 7, 2006 he married Mary Hammerbacher in Frontenac, Kansas. Bryan was a 1998 graduate of TMP-Marian High School in Hays and enlisted in the Army in 1996. Survivors include his wife Mary, of the home in Kansas City, Missouri, son Braydon Nichols of Kansas City, KS, parents Douglas and Cynthia Nichols of Palco, Kansas, brothers, Monte and wife Angie Nichols of Cypress, TX, Brandon and wife Heather Nichols of Sierra Vista, AZ, sister, Nicole and husband Roy Robles of San Diego, CA, and nieces and nephews, Farra, Natalie, Ellen, Abby, Cole, and Chase. He was preceded in death by grandparents, Carl and Alma Nichols and Joe E. and Marcella Karlin.
