SOUTHWEST, Fla. — As our eyes turn to what’s currently happening in Afghanistan, we found a close-to-home reminder of how what’s happened in that part of the world has impacted so many lives around the globe including right here in Southwest Florida. Brian Hornsby’s stepmom, Donna, shares his legacy on the nine year anniversary of his passing.
Though he was born in Spain, Brian’s pretty much from Southwest Florida.
He attended Lehigh Acres Middle School , and Riverdale High School.
Donna says Hornsby grew up in a military family, so joining the Armed Forces was in the cards for him.
She tells FOX 4 he attended the Fort Myers campus of the University of South Florida - which is now the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.
He later joined the Army where he spent three years as a military policeman.
He’d go onto become a warrant officer and a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
Tragically, on August 16, 2012, a U-H-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed just north of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Donna says 11 people died. That includes 3 Afghan nationals, an interpreter, and 7 Americans - including Chief Warrant Officer Brian Hornsby.
Brian’s survived by his wife and kids, Layla and Brady.
Donna says Brian loved his job and his country.
Donna and FOX 4’s Shari Armstrong also spoke about what’s currently happening in Afghanistan. She says she’s disheartened to see the current state of affairs there saying in part: “More good people that help are going to end up getting hurt.”
