America's Fallen Hero's

CW3 Dallas G. Garza

CW3 Dallas G. Garza, 34, passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2020, in a helicopter crash with his crew when piloting a UH-60 Black Hawk that went down in Sinai, Egypt.

Dallas was born in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to parents David and Belinda. His name came from his father, who wanted to pass down his long-time beloved nickname from childhood. Dallas spent the majority of his childhood in Janesville, Wisconsin with his mother. During those childhood years, he would often play solider with his friends and family, explaining with pride that he wanted to emulate his hero, his father. However, as he grew older his vision grew more precise, he wanted to chase one of humanity's most coveted dreams, to fly.

Dallas was an intelligent high achiever that always strived for the best and to be the best. He would play flying simulation games constantly on the computer to hone his skills and his father took notice. When he was 14 and came to visit his father that summer, his father had a surprise waiting for him. He had a family friend who offered to take him up in his personal small plane during his visit. Dallas was elated to have the chance to have this experience and even more so when he was granted permission to take the controls. To say the least, the man was impressed by the young teen and was amazed that he was a natural pilot.

Dallas had begun his high school years attending Parker High School in Janesville, WI before he moved to be with his parents David Garza Jr. and Maria De Jesus Garza with siblings Jesica and David D. Garza in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Although Dallas had the grades and opportunity to apply for any military college of his choosing, he sought a different path, set on his dream and determined to achieve it. He finished high school at Seventy-First Senior High School and not long after graduating from high school in 2005, Dallas followed his father’s footsteps enlisting into the Army.

During his training, he attended jump school and was able to complete his first Airborne jump alongside his father during his last Airborne jump in the Army prior to his retirement. Dallas' first duty station was back to his family in Fort Bragg, NC as a helicopter crew chief. His 2nd assignment was in Hawaii at Wheeler and Schofield where he fell in love with the island. In 2010, Dallas truly began to pursue his lifelong dream to become a pilot, choosing specifically to be a Black Hawk pilot during his schooling at Fort Rucker. When he graduated from Warrant Officer School, he had numerous awards presented to him in front of his parents, David Garza Jr. and Maria Garza, foreshadowing his greatness to come.

His first duty station as a pilot was in his treasured state of Texas, in Fort Hood. He was there for a few years, happy to be close to family with his daughters and wife, while his career quickly excelled him to become a pilot in command and then an instructor. For his last assignment, he went back to his beloved Hawaii, where he progressed further to a senior instructor pilot and instrument examiner. Before he left Hawaii, he was one solo flight away from obtaining his fixed-wing pilot license with the same aircraft he flew so many years prior at 14 years old. He was preparing his plans after retirement to become a commercial pilot at home in Texas to be close to family.

His next endeavor following his assignment in Egypt would have been a move to Fort Campbell, Kentucky due to his favorable assessment for the special operations aviation regiment (Airborne).

When not in uniform, Dallas knew how to live life to the fullest as a father, son, brother, and friend. He would wear flamingos with pride, sing his heart out in karaoke, and dress up every chance he could, including dressing up as the hero he will forever be remembered as, Superman. Dallas wasn't simply a dressed-up hero, Dallas is a hero. He put his life on the line on multiple occasions to fight to keep his comrades alive and did his best to save them in the line of duty till his very last breath. To many, he was also a role model as a person, soldier, pilot, son, dad, and friend. He is a prime example, that if you set your mind to something and work hard with a positive attitude you can make it a reality. Dream big and put in the work to make it happen.

Dallas is survived by his young daughters, Viviana Garza, Isabella Garza, and his oldest son Christopher; parents, David Garza Jr., Maria De Jesus Garza, and Belinda Swinney; brother, David D. Garza and sister, Jesica Garza, as well as his fellow brother and sister soldiers and aviators. He was preceded in death by a few beloved family members and many of his fellow soldiers and aviators that were dear to him. We have solace in knowing they welcomed Dallas with open arms.

Forever in flight.