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To the McCants family. I was Danny's room mate for a time at Warrant Officer Candidate School. Now some 22 plus years later and my son's baseball organization is participating in a Gold Star program. They wear a gold star on their helmet for the upcoming season in honor of a fallen Warrior. If you wanted to request a particular Warrior you could. I requested Danny for my son. I just wanted you to know that Danny will be on my son's helmet this season! I have shared with him how we met as well as the info shared with us about Danny. I was a Signal Warrant Officer and served two tours in Afghanistan myself. I left Afghanistan for the last time in June of 2006. Very Respectfully, CW5 (retired) Todd Doherty my son is Connor Doherty and is finishing his Freshman year of HS.
Chief Warrant Officer Three Hershel D. McCants, Jr., died Feb.
18, 2007, in southeastern Afghanistan when his MH-47E
Helicopter crashed while conducting operations in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom.
He was born on April 2, 1973, in Medford, Oregon.
McCants originally volunteered for Army service as a combat
engineer in October of 1991. He attended basic and advanced
individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. After an initial
assignment as a combat engineer at Fort Bragg, N.C., McCants
attended the Special Forces Engineer Course. Upon graduation
he was assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis,
Wash. McCants was accepted into and graduated from the U.S.
Army Warrant Officer program in 2000 at Fort Rucker, Ala. In 2001, he attended the Aviation Warrant Officer Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary Wing training.
After completing his UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter qualifications at Fort Rucker, Ala., McCants
was assigned as a Tactical Operations Officer and an Aero Medical Evacuation pilot with the
54th Medical Company, 62nd Medical Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash. He applied and successfully
assessed to serve in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) in 2005. He
was assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A) at Fort Campbell, Ky., where he
served as a MH-47E Chinook Helicopter pilot.
McCants’ schools include the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, CH-47 Aircraft
Qualifications Course, Special Operations Training Course, SAPPER Leader Course, and
Combat Life Savers Course.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, two Army Commendation
Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Good Conduct
Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Humanitarian
Service Medals, two Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army
Service Ribbon, Army Aviator Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Airborne Badge and Air Assault
Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
He is survived by his wife, Shannon, son, Trevor (11), and daughter, Kylie (11 months).
McCants’ mother, Goldie Murphy, and father, Hershel D. McCants, Sr., also survive him.