Lt. Col. Stephen Wood, 27th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, called Evans an "outstanding leader and distinguished officer."

31, of Hollandale, Miss.; assigned to the 27th Civil Engineer Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; deployed with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Base, Iraq; died Dec. 3 when the Marine Corps CH-46 helicopter he was riding in made an emergency water landing in western Anbar province.

 

Free New Mexican -- HOLLANDALE, Miss. (AP) - A Cannon Air Force Base officer, who was head of the base's bomb squad, died this past weekend when a helicopter transporting soldiers went down in a lake in Iraq.

Air Force Capt. Kermit Evans was assigned to the 27th Civil Engineer Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and was deployed in July with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Base, Iraq, Department of Defense officials said.

Margaret Evans of Hollandale told The Associated Press that she and her husband were notified Monday of their son's death in a call from his wife, Pernetha Cunningham Evans.

Margaret Evans said the loss of their son has been hard on her family, but "I've talked to the good Lord and I'm handling it, so is my husband."

Evans, 31, a native of Holland and a graduate of Mississippi State University, was serving his second tour in Iraq. Margaret Evans said her son enlisted in the Air Force in August 2001 and was promoted to captain in November 2005.

"He had received orders about three weeks ago that he was going back to Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis (N.M.), and they were so excited," Margaret Evans said.

Kermit Evans was expected to return to Cannon in January and be redeployed in February, said Cannon spokesman Sgt. Brandon Seals.

Evans was one of four who died Sunday when their Sea Knight helicopter plunged into Lake Qadisiyah in volatile Anbar Province.

"The thoughts and prayers of the women of the 27th Fighter Wing are with the Evans family as their grieve the tragic loss of their loved one," said Col. Valentino Bagnani, 27th Fighter Wing vice commander.

Lt. Col. Stephen Wood, 27th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, called Evans an "outstanding leader and distinguished officer."

"His untimely death in the service of his country has affected us all," Wood said.

The military aircraft was the second in a week to go down in Anbar, a stronghold of Sunni insurgents, although the military said mechanical problems rather than gunfire had forced the emergency landing on Sunday.

"The pilots maintained control of the aircraft the entire time," the military said.

Margaret Evans said she understood her son was being transported back to his base "after he had gone to check on other men" in his unit.

A Marine was pulled from the water but attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The bodies of three missing service members were found in a subsequent search, the military said. Twelve other passengers survived.

Pernetha Evans and the couple's 13-month-old son, Kermit Jr., lived in Las Vegas, where Pernetha Evans worked in a lab.

Contacted Tuesday at her home in Las Vegas, she said no decision had been made on funeral services but her husband might be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

"We really don't know about that right now," she said. "We will know more later."

Margaret Evans said some sort of service would likely be held in Hollandale.

Kermit's brother also is serving in the Air Force, said Margaret Evans.