Memorial Ceremony Tuesday for Spc. Michael S. Cote

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Sept. 25 – The 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment here will conduct a Memorial Ceremony Tuesday for a Fort Wainwright Soldier who died last weekend of wounds suffered when the UH-60 helicopter he was on crashed in Balad, Iraq. The ceremony will take place in the Fort Wainwright Northern Lights Chapel at 11 a.m.

The ceremony is for Spc. Michael S. Cote, 20, of Denham Springs, La. He was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Task Force 49. Cote served in Iraq as a UH-60 helicopter crew chief. He joined the Army in July 2007 and was assigned to U.S. Army Alaska in March 2008.

Additional Background:
As of Sep. 19, 2009 there have been 25 Soldier deaths in U.S. Army Alaska this year, as follows:
· 17 combat related, 8 non-combat related
· 13 in 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) (12 in Afghanistan, 1 in Anchorage; 11 combat, 2 non-combat)
· 5 in 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team (3 in Iraq, 1 in Tenn., 1 at Fort Wainwright; 3 combat, 2 non-combat)
· 3 in 545th Military Police Company (3 in Iraq; 3 combat, 0 non-combat)
· 1 in 95th Chemical Company (1 at Fort Richardson; 1 non-combat)
· 1 in C/864th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) (1 in Eagle River, 1 non-combat)
· 1 in A/Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB) (1 in Lee County, S.C., 1 non-combat)
· 1 in A/1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Task Force 49 ( 1 in Iraq; 1 non-combat)