GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — One of Ryan O’Hara’s first military leaders paid tribute to his former student Thursday night.
David Erwin is Parkview High School’s former Marine Corps JROTC Instructor. He shared old photos of his time spent with O’Hara in the program.
“Quiet kid,” said Erwin. “And his mother told me today that we helped bring him out of his shell.”
He said O’Hara was a member of Parkview High School’s rifle competition team and color guard.
“He spent a lot of time doing Toys for Tots with us, the camps we go to,” said Erwin. “He was a kid you could count on.”
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After graduating from the high school in Lilburn, O’Hara joined the U.S. Army.
“He was in Afghanistan, did a combat deployment there,” said Erwin.
O’Hara ranked up to Staff Sergeant E-6 and became a crew chief on Black Hawk helicopters that transport VIP.
“You have to be selected for that, and that speaks very highly to his character and who he was,” said Erwin.
He said O’Hara was starting to build a life in Arlington with his wife and 1-year-old son when his team collided with an American Airlines flight set to land in Washington D.C. Wednesday night.
Thursday morning, Erwin learned her former cadet was on the helicopter.
“It was a gut punch. It was a gut punch this morning when I saw that,” said Erwin.
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He spoke to O’Hara’s parents later that day.
“We’re not even 24 hours into this, and they’re just trying to piece this together,” said Erwin. “I hope they can do that in peace.”
Another Georgia family from the Savannah area is grieving the loss of Sam Lilley. He was co-piloting the commercial flight involved in the crash.
His childhood friend Shane Therault is the Executive Pastor at Coastal Community Christian Church in Richmond Hill.
“Flying was his life, but in his free time, he was getting ready to be married in the fall. He loved spending time with friends. He was really getting prepared for his next phase in life with his fiancée,” said Therault.
Therault said Lilley followed in his dad’s footsteps to become a pilot.
On Facebook, the father, Tim Lilley, wrote, “...it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”
In Lilburn, the Parkview community is uniting again. Erwin said he is relaying stories of inspiration to O’Hara’s family, and he hopes his student is looking down.
“Hopefully, he knows he’s done some good things,” said Erwin.
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