Captain Kimberly Hampton, the daughter of Dale and Ann Hampton and a helicopter pilot with the U.S. Army 82^nd Airborne Division, was killed 21 years ago, on January 2, 2004, at the age of 27, when her OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter was shot down in Iraq. The 1994 Easley High School graduate is honored in her hometown by the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Park at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library, and she is remembered by all and will never be forgotten.

At the time of Kimberly’s death, I was the Editor of The Pickens Sentinel, and I interviewed Ann and Dale in their home for an in-depth story on Kimberly. After attending her funeral service, I wrote another in-depth story about the funeral.  I have written stories since then, including about the golf tournament fundraiser for the park, and when the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter that is now on display at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Park was brought on December 12, 2019, and when the park was dedicated on March 10, 2020, and when a wreath was placed at her gravesite during the Wreaths Across America event, and more.

We can never repay such a great debt we owe to the men and women of our military, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And we can never repay the debt we owe to their families, for their sacrifice, as well. As Kimberly’s mother, Ann, said at the park dedication ceremony, “Freedom’s not free. Don’t ever take it for granted.”

It has been noted that Kimberly was the first female American military pilot to be shot down and killed by hostile fire, but, as

Ann said when I interviewed them, Kimberly preferred to be considered a soldier and a pilot who happened to be female. “She felt that, given the opportunities, within reason, she could do anything anyone else could do,” Ann said. For a school assignment when she was a third grade student, Kimberly had written that she wanted “to fly like a bird.” Her father, Dale, said, “Be free and independent were the qualities she was referring to, and that was what she ended up doing.”

Kimberly Hampton will never be forgotten. Her memory will live always in the minds and hearts of her fellow citizens in her hometown, in her home county, and in her country.

Please visit the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Park at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library. Operation Dragonfly was spearheaded by Jim Garrison.