Capt. Daniel B. Bartle (USNA '06)

From Daniel’s obituary:

A U.S. Marine from Ferndale was among six Marines killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Saturday, Jan. 21.

Capt. Daniel B. Bartle died Thursday, Jan. 19, in a crash in the Helmand province. He was 27.

Bartle, who graduated as a valedictorian from Ferndale High School in 2002, had been decorated with two Air Medals and a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, among other awards. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan.

“Men of humility and honor are rare in this world,” his family said in a prepared statement. “Daniel lived these values every single day and inspired others to do the same. He was a loving son, brother, uncle and friend, and though his death saddens us greatly, we are finding consolation in all the love, laughter and joy that he gave to those who were fortunate enough to know him.”

Plans were pending Saturday evening for Bartle’s memorial service and the return of his remains from overseas.

Bartle was born in Salinas, Calif. He lived in Missoula, Mont., before moving to Ferndale as a high school freshman. He graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA.

Nick Carlson, a Ferndale High School teacher who taught Bartle when he was a senior, remembered him as a humble student who, despite his good grades, never talked about his own accomplishments.

Bartle told The Bellingham Herald in 2002 that after he finished college at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., he planned to see the world.

John Davis, Bartle’s brother-in-law who spoke on behalf of the family, said Bartle grew into a well-rounded man: He was fluent in Spanish, loved to lift weights and majored in electrical engineering. But his talents never went to his head.

“He just quietly went about his way,” Davis said. “He was an exceptional kid, just a really special person.”

Bartle always had a desire to serve others, and that led him to serve in the military, Davis said.

“The helicopter program looked challenging,” he said, “and he was always up for a challenge.”

Bartle was commissioned into the Marine Corps in May 2006. He reported for duty with the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 in July 2011. He had been promoted to captain the year before.

Also killed in Thursday’s crash were fellow HMH-363 Marines Capt. Nathan R. McHone, 29, of Crystal Lake, Ill.; Master Sgt. Travis W. Riddick, 40, of Centerville, Iowa; Cpl. Jesse W. Stites, 23, of North Beach, Md.; Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard, 25, of Colonia, N.J.; and Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, of Willis, Texas.

Bartle and McHone were the pilots of the aircraft. Riddick was the helicopter’s crew chief.

The cause of the crash of the CH-53D helicopter was still being investigated, but a statement issued by the NATO international military coalition said there was no enemy activity in the area when it happened.

The squadron had been sent to Afghanistan in August as part of a seven-month deployment, said Kaneohe Bay spokeswoman 1st Lt. Diann Olson.

The crew was supporting combat operations in the Helmand province, according to the Department of Defense. They were assigned to HMH-363, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Thursday’s crash was the deadliest in Afghanistan since August 2011, when 30 American troops died after a Chinook helicopter apparently was shot down in Wardak province in the center of the country.

CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters were first used in the 1960s, and the Marine Corps flew them in the Vietnam War.

The CH-53D is the same model as a helicopter that crashed and killed a Marine in a bay off Hawaii on March 29, 2011. An investigation later revealed mechanical failure caused that accident.

In 2005, the Kaneohe Bay Marine base lost 27 Marines when a CH-53E Super Stallion deployed to Iraq crashed during a desert sandstorm. Altogether, 30 Marines and a Navy medic were killed in that crash.

All Sea Stallions still used operationally are stationed at Kaneohe Bay. The military plans to replace them with the MV-22 Osprey.