The town of Reedley is mourning the loss of a hometown soldier killed in Kuwait. Captain Joe Fenton Lusk II was killed during a training exercise on an Apache helicopter. He was 25 years old.

Lusk was a 1997 graduate of Reedley High School and a 2001 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Lusk was a helicopter pilot but was working as a gunner during the accident.

Lusk and other Army personnel were training to mobilize into Baghdad in preparation for Sunday's Iraqi elections.

His family says he learned to fly Apache helicopters because he wanted to be near the action.

His mother, Susan Lusk, says, "All he wanted to do was be there to support his friends on the ground."

The Lusk family says the small town has been very supportive. In fact, many church services in Reedley on Sunday were dedicated to Joe Lusk.

Lusk's Brother, Kevin Lusk, says, "We want to really thank the community. They've been unbelievable. It's just a testament to how many lives were touched. A lot of people loved him."


Reedley High graduate dies in Kuwait accident


Joseph Lusk is killed in training exercise only 10 days into his tour.

By Tim Eberly
The Fresno Bee

(Updated Sunday, January 23, 2005, 6:23 AM)

A 25-year-old Army helicopter pilot from Reedley died Friday after a training accident in Kuwait, about 10 days after he was deployed overseas, according to relatives and friends.


Capt. Joseph "Joe" Lusk, a 1997 Reedley High School graduate, was taken to a hospital after the accident, but never regained consciousness, said one of Lusk's close friends, Ben Gregory.

The military had not identified Lusk as the accident victim Saturday, but did release a statement that one Apache pilot was killed and another was injured in the training accident northwest of Kuwait City. The injured pilot was reported in stable condition at a U.S. military hospital.

The statement did not provide details about how the accident happened.

Gregory, who was Lusk's friend since childhood, said Army officers notified Lusk's mother of his death about 1:30 p.m. Friday. Gregory said the family knew few details of the accident, but said Lusk was acting as a gunner -- not the pilot of the Apache -- when something went wrong. Gregory's father, Jim Gregory, coached his sons and Lusk on the varsity football team at Reedley in the 1990s.

Saturday, he and Ben Gregory joined a handful of other close friends and relatives at the home of Lusk's mother, Sue, an English teacher at Reedley High.

"It's a devastating blow for everybody around here who knew Joe," Jim Gregory, 54, said. "He was just a super kid. It's really a waste to see somebody like that go."

Lusk's family declined comment Saturday, but several of the people who knew him talked about the outgoing athlete with long, dirty-blond hair that he cut short before attending West Point, the U.S. military academy located 50 miles north of New York City.

"From what I heard from his mom and Joe, I think he was an excellent pilot," Jim Gregory said. "I can't imagine him being anything else."

A week before Christmas, Lusk's family and friends held a farewell dinner party before his deployment to Kuwait and eventually to Iraq. Also, some of his former teachers showed up to wish him well, Ben Gregory said.

Shortly before Lusk's flight to the Middle East, he called Ben Gregory while riding on a bus en route to the airport. He sounded a little nervous, Gregory recalled.

Lusk told Gregory he would e-mail him as soon as he could and would keep in touch. After Lusk arrived in Kuwait, only his mom and girlfriend had communicated with him before his death.

"You just never think it's going to happen to one of your friends," Gregory said.

Gregory had known Lusk since the fourth grade, when they attended Lincoln Elementary School in Reedley. They later became close friends while playing football at Reedley High.

Lusk was a running back; Gregory played free safety.

As a freshman, Lusk was undersized. But by his upperclassman years, he had a muscular build on his 6-foot frame. He also had grown his hair down to his shoulders.

Throughout high school, Lusk was an altar boy at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Reedley, said Monsignor Francis Tasy.

"If you gave him an assignment, he would carry through," Tasy said. "He was sort of a leader within the group. He had all the traits that you would want in a young person."

The summer before his senior year, Lusk first began considering going to West Point, Gregory said. He had a grandfather and uncle who went there.

Early in his senior year, the decision had been made.

"I was surprised just because he probably is one of the funnest guys I've ever known," Gregory said. "But at the same time, he is one of those rare people who could focus."

The straight-A student and yearbook editor then cut his hair short.

In his final football season, Lusk was one of a handful of running backs on the squad. But as the season grew, Lusk became one of the go-to backs on a team that went 1-9. In the Pirates' lone win of the season, Lusk carried six times for 17 yards.

"He did a really good job," Jim Gregory said. "I have great memories of him running the ball for me."

Lusk's first year at West Point wasn't as smooth.

"It was really, really tough," Ben Gregory said. "It took so much out of him. Whenever he could get away, he would."

He took frequent trips to Boston and New York to visit relatives. But after his first year, he adjusted to military life.

"After that, he seemed to flourish in it," Gregory said. "He knew what he had to do. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel."

He played at least one season on Army's weight-limit football team, scoring a touchdown in at least two games. He suffered a knee injury, however.

After graduating with an engineering degree, Lusk initially wanted to become an Army ranger. But he wasn't allowed into the training program because, Ben Gregory said, he had too much military education.

So, he set his sights on becoming a helicopter pilot. He didn't want to fly a jet, telling Gregory, "Well, nowadays, the jets don't get into any real action."

Lusk went to flight school in Alabama, and was later stationed in Texas and South Carolina.

Before he went to Kuwait, Lusk told Jim Gregory that he eventually was going to be an astronaut.

"When Joe said it, there were no second thoughts that he couldn't do that," Gregory said.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6465.

The town of Reedley is mourning the loss of a hometown soldier killed in Kuwait. Captain Joe Fenton Lusk II was killed during a training exercise on an Apache helicopter. He was 25 years old.

Lusk was a 1997 graduate of Reedley High School and a 2001 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Lusk was a helicopter pilot but was working as a gunner during the accident.

Lusk and other Army personnel were training to mobilize into Baghdad in preparation for Sunday's Iraqi elections.

His family says he learned to fly Apache helicopters because he wanted to be near the action.

His mother, Susan Lusk, says, "All he wanted to do was be there to support his friends on the ground."

The Lusk family says the small town has been very supportive. In fact, many church services in Reedley on Sunday were dedicated to Joe Lusk.

Lusk's Brother, Kevin Lusk, says, "We want to really thank the community. They've been unbelievable. It's just a testament to how many lives were touched. A lot of people loved him."


Reedley High graduate dies in Kuwait accident


Joseph Lusk is killed in training exercise only 10 days into his tour.

By Tim Eberly
The Fresno Bee

(Updated Sunday, January 23, 2005, 6:23 AM)

A 25-year-old Army helicopter pilot from Reedley died Friday after a training accident in Kuwait, about 10 days after he was deployed overseas, according to relatives and friends.


Capt. Joseph "Joe" Lusk, a 1997 Reedley High School graduate, was taken to a hospital after the accident, but never regained consciousness, said one of Lusk's close friends, Ben Gregory.

The military had not identified Lusk as the accident victim Saturday, but did release a statement that one Apache pilot was killed and another was injured in the training accident northwest of Kuwait City. The injured pilot was reported in stable condition at a U.S. military hospital.

The statement did not provide details about how the accident happened.

Gregory, who was Lusk's friend since childhood, said Army officers notified Lusk's mother of his death about 1:30 p.m. Friday. Gregory said the family knew few details of the accident, but said Lusk was acting as a gunner -- not the pilot of the Apache -- when something went wrong. Gregory's father, Jim Gregory, coached his sons and Lusk on the varsity football team at Reedley in the 1990s.

Saturday, he and Ben Gregory joined a handful of other close friends and relatives at the home of Lusk's mother, Sue, an English teacher at Reedley High.

"It's a devastating blow for everybody around here who knew Joe," Jim Gregory, 54, said. "He was just a super kid. It's really a waste to see somebody like that go."

Lusk's family declined comment Saturday, but several of the people who knew him talked about the outgoing athlete with long, dirty-blond hair that he cut short before attending West Point, the U.S. military academy located 50 miles north of New York City.

"From what I heard from his mom and Joe, I think he was an excellent pilot," Jim Gregory said. "I can't imagine him being anything else."

A week before Christmas, Lusk's family and friends held a farewell dinner party before his deployment to Kuwait and eventually to Iraq. Also, some of his former teachers showed up to wish him well, Ben Gregory said.

Shortly before Lusk's flight to the Middle East, he called Ben Gregory while riding on a bus en route to the airport. He sounded a little nervous, Gregory recalled.

Lusk told Gregory he would e-mail him as soon as he could and would keep in touch. After Lusk arrived in Kuwait, only his mom and girlfriend had communicated with him before his death.

"You just never think it's going to happen to one of your friends," Gregory said.

Gregory had known Lusk since the fourth grade, when they attended Lincoln Elementary School in Reedley. They later became close friends while playing football at Reedley High.

Lusk was a running back; Gregory played free safety.

As a freshman, Lusk was undersized. But by his upperclassman years, he had a muscular build on his 6-foot frame. He also had grown his hair down to his shoulders.

Throughout high school, Lusk was an altar boy at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Reedley, said Monsignor Francis Tasy.

"If you gave him an assignment, he would carry through," Tasy said. "He was sort of a leader within the group. He had all the traits that you would want in a young person."

The summer before his senior year, Lusk first began considering going to West Point, Gregory said. He had a grandfather and uncle who went there.

Early in his senior year, the decision had been made.

"I was surprised just because he probably is one of the funnest guys I've ever known," Gregory said. "But at the same time, he is one of those rare people who could focus."

The straight-A student and yearbook editor then cut his hair short.

In his final football season, Lusk was one of a handful of running backs on the squad. But as the season grew, Lusk became one of the go-to backs on a team that went 1-9. In the Pirates' lone win of the season, Lusk carried six times for 17 yards.

"He did a really good job," Jim Gregory said. "I have great memories of him running the ball for me."

Lusk's first year at West Point wasn't as smooth.

"It was really, really tough," Ben Gregory said. "It took so much out of him. Whenever he could get away, he would."

He took frequent trips to Boston and New York to visit relatives. But after his first year, he adjusted to military life.

"After that, he seemed to flourish in it," Gregory said. "He knew what he had to do. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel."

He played at least one season on Army's weight-limit football team, scoring a touchdown in at least two games. He suffered a knee injury, however.

After graduating with an engineering degree, Lusk initially wanted to become an Army ranger. But he wasn't allowed into the training program because, Ben Gregory said, he had too much military education.

So, he set his sights on becoming a helicopter pilot. He didn't want to fly a jet, telling Gregory, "Well, nowadays, the jets don't get into any real action."

Lusk went to flight school in Alabama, and was later stationed in Texas and South Carolina.

Before he went to Kuwait, Lusk told Jim Gregory that he eventually was going to be an astronaut.

"When Joe said it, there were no second thoughts that he couldn't do that," Gregory said.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6465.