New York Army National Guard
While New York Army National Guardsman Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch of Honeoye Falls earned many honors for his military service, he was also a shining example of service to the community and was still involved in his high school alma mater, York Central School.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial
Photo provided by New York Army National Guard
Koch was one of three guardsmen killed in the New York Army National Guard helicopter crash in Mendon on January 20. He grew up in Livingston County, graduating from York Central. He was a 20-year veteran of the New York Army National Guard, becoming a pilot in 2006, after initially serving as an infantryman in A Company of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry. Koch, who would have celebrated his 40th birthday this past Monday (January 25), served as part of the National Guard security mission, Operation Noble Eagle, in 2004 after the attacks of September 11, 2001. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009 a