Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Branch: U.S. Army 
Unit: 1st Squadron, 230th Air Cavalry Squadron, Louisville, TN
Military Honors: Meritorious Service Medal
Date of Sacrifice: February 21, 2010 - Qayyarah Airfield West, Mosul District, Iraq
Age: 28
Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011

As a child growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, Marcus Alford knew what he wanted to do from the first moment he saw a helicopter. At Knoxville’s South-Doyle High School, Alford spent four years as a member of the Junior ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) program.

After graduating from high school in 2000 and being named “Wittiest Senior” by his classmates, Alford enrolled at nearby Carson-Newman College—a private Christian college in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

Alford was a member at First Calvary Baptist Church in Lonsdale (outside of Knoxville), where he sang in the choir.

He joined the Tennessee Army National Guard in April of 2000 as an ROTC cadet, and four years later graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

After college, in December 2004 Alford was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Tennessee Army National Guard and assigned as Liaison Officer for Detachment 2, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-230th Air Cavalry Squadron.

Realizing his childhood dream, Marcus Alford was sent to Fort Rucker, Alabama, to complete aviation pilot training. During his training for deployment to Iraq, Alford was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned as Platoon Leader for Troop B, 1st Squadron, 230th Air Cavalry Squadron.

Cpt. Alford, along with his fellow soldiers of the Tennessee Army National Guard, were mobilized in March of 2009 and deployed to Iraq in July in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Alford piloted a OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter in non-combat missions.

In February of 2010, Alford was scheduled to return home and his family started planning a welcome-home party when they received the news: On February 21, Cpt. Alford was lost from injuries sustained when his helicopter came in for a hard landing at Qayyarah Airfield West, near the city of Mosul, Iraq. His fellow soldier, CW2 Billie J. Grinder, 25, of Gallatin, Tennessee was also killed in the accident. Alford left behind two young children—his son, Marcus Jr., and his daughter, Mya.

Cpt. Alford’s commander, Col. Kris Durham, remembers, “During our deployment, he excelled as Platoon Leader, even though his platoon was separated by more than 120 miles from the rest of his troop. Marcus was serious about his duties, confident in his abilities, and confident in the cockpit. He was tireless in his pursuit of perfection, and his care for his soldiers was unquestionable.”

At age 28, Captain Marcus Ray Alford Sr. made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and died doing what he loved—serving in the military and piloting helicopters.

Sources
East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association: Marcus R. Alford Sr.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, February 24, 2010: 2 Tenn. Pilots die in chopper crash
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, March 5, 2010: Memory of soldier touches mourners
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service: Remembering our fallen pilots
Tennessee General Assembly: Senate Joint Resolution 824
Unity Mortuary: Celebration of Life for Captain Marcus R. Alford, Sr.
Fallen Aviator Car Show: Cpt. Marcus Alford
Burial Site: Find a Grave