| A1C Jesse Samek United States Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 O'Fallon, Missouri |
| Died | 2004 (aged 20–21) Afghanistan |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 2003–2004 |
| Rank | Airman First Class |
| Unit | 66th Rescue Squadron |
| Battles/wars | Operation Enduring Freedom |
| Awards | Purple Heart |
Airman First Class Jesse Monroe Samek (1983 – October 21, 2004) was a United States Air Force flight engineer deployed to Afghanistan from the 66th Rescue Squadron based out of Nellis Air Force Base, in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. He died when the HH-60 rescue helicopter he was riding in crashed northwest of Kandahar, Afghanistan. He is most notable as having had a U.S. Air Force camp named after him at the Kandahar Airfield in Kandahar, Afghanistan.[1]
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Samek graduated from Rogers High School, in Rogers, Arkansas in 2001 and attended the University of Arkansas for a year before joining the Air Force in February 2003.
Jesse Samek died in October 2004 when the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter he was the flight engineer during a crash involving poor visibility and drift into terrain. The helicopter was performing a medical evacuation of an Afghan election official who was accidentally shot by a guard 105 miles east of Shindand, and northwest of Kandahar.[2]
He is buried at Bella Vista Memorial Cemetery.