Army Chief Warrant Officer Halvorsen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. Halvorsen was killed when his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Iraq. Intrigued with mechanics at a young age, Erik began taking flying lessons while in high school. He graduated from Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vermont and went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Engineering at the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 1986. He joined the Army in 1987 and entered the Army's helicopter program. In 1998, he left the Army for civilian life in aviation but he didn't like it so in June 2000 he returned to active duty as a Warrant Officer. His deployments took him to the first Gulf War, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Korea and the Caribbean. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (posthumous), Purple Heart Medal (posthumous), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, JMUA-1, AGCM-1, NDSM-2, SWABS-2, AFSM-1, NATO-1, SAKULIBM & KUKULIBM, and the Senior Aviator Badge. When Erik received his assignment to Iraq, his family noticed a change in him. He knew he was going to a dangerous place – he placed his personal effects and important papers in storage and arranged it so his family could retrieve them. He sold his house in Georgia and tied up the loose ends of his life. Erik was a man of few words, but those actions told all.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Halvorsen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. Halvorsen was killed when his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Iraq. Intrigued with mechanics at a young age, Erik began taking flying lessons while in high school. He graduated from Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vermont and went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Engineering at the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 1986. He joined the Army in 1987 and entered the Army's helicopter program. In 1998, he left the Army for civilian life in aviation but he didn't like it so in June 2000 he returned to active duty as a Warrant Officer. His deployments took him to the first Gulf War, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Korea and the Caribbean. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (posthumous), Purple Heart Medal (posthumous), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, JMUA-1, AGCM-1, NDSM-2, SWABS-2, AFSM-1, NATO-1, SAKULIBM & KUKULIBM, and the Senior Aviator Badge. When Erik received his assignment to Iraq, his family noticed a change in him. He knew he was going to a dangerous place – he placed his personal effects and important papers in storage and arranged it so his family could retrieve them. He sold his house in Georgia and tied up the loose ends of his life. Erik was a man of few words, but those actions told all.