Professional Soldiers ® - CW2 Scott W. Dyer

Thanks for the write-up Kevin

Quote:

Selfless, loyal soldier remembered
By Kevin Maurer
Staff writer

Every time Chief Warrant Officer Scott W. Dyer’s niece tried to start singing, she broke into tears.

Standing in front of hundreds of soldiers, friends and family, 11-year-old Bailey Holland-Hill finally willed her way through “Amazing Grace.” The performance punctuated a solemn ceremony.

The 3rd Special Forces Group held a memorial for Dyer on Thursday morning at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Chapel on Fort Bragg.

During a mission Oct. 11, Dyer fell from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Banditemur, Afghanistan. He died from his injuries at a military hospital in Kandahar.

Dyer, who lived in Sanford, was an assistant detachment commander assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group.

He was remembered as a selfless and loyal soldier who loved his family. Dyer lived every day to its fullest, his friends said.

More than 1,000 people attended the memorial. The chapel was full, and soldiers and friends stood along the walls and the back of the small church. A small tent was set up in the parking lot with a flat-screen TV and speakers as an alternate chapel.

Dyer’s boots, M-4 rifle, dog tags and green beret were displayed at the front of the chapel. They were flanked by the American flag and 3rd Group’s colors.

A childhood friend and a unit mate gave eulogies.

Chief Warrant Officer Derrick Fitts met Dyer in high school in Florida and was the best man at his wedding.

“I always knew what my friend was doing, where he was and when he was coming home,” Fitts said. “He always had a smile on his face and a good word to say.”

Fitts was a little older than Dyer and when Fitts joined the Army, Dyer saw him off. Dyer followed a few years later, enlisting as a cavalry scout in 1987.

Fitts said whenever Dyer came back to Florida on leave, he would sneak into Fitts’ apartment at midnight and wake him up by jumping on his bed. Once Fitts was awake, the two friends would go wake up their other friends.

“Nobody minded. We were always glad to see him,” Fitts said.

Dyer completed the Special Forces Qualification course in 1994, and he was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group as a Special Forces engineer.

Chief Warrant Officer Woody Woodson served with him in 3rd Group. He described Dyer as a gregarious soldier who always strived to make things better for his team. He also had a quick wit and a good sense of humor.

Lt. Col. Joseph Coale gave the commander’s address. He didn’t know Dyer, but said he could tell a lot about the man from how his family loved him, the “depth of his reputation” and the company he kept.

“This is a family business and it hurts. We are all saddened by his loss and sacrifice,” he said fighting back tears.

Coale said today’s soldiers are the next “Greatest Generation.” The United States has been fighting longer than in World War II, and today’s Army is made up of all volunteers. He also said unlike in World War II, soldiers now are making multiple combat deployments. Dyer deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served in Bosnia and Haiti.

“It is not just punch your ticket and that is it. He had been to war and returned,” Coale said.

Dyer, 38, was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star medal for valor and the Purple Heart.

He is survived by his wife, Jodi; a son, Casey; and a daughter, Sidney. He also leaves two sisters and his parents.

Dyer will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery next week.

Staff writer Kevin Maurer can be reached at maurerk@fayettevillenc.com or 486-3587.