Chad Peyton

Chad Peyton, a dear friend and brave warrior who served 4 tours in the Middle East (3 in Iraq, 1 in Afghanistan). Chad received a congressional nomination to attend college at the United States Military Academy at West Point. While at West Point, he majored in Geospatial Information Systems and played Division 1 rugby for the Army’s Rugby Football Club. Chad graduated from West Point with a Bachelor of Science in May 2003 and was commissioned as an Aviation officer in the United States Army. After completing flight training at the Army Aviation Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama in 2004, Chad became a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot and served in Germany as an Executive Officer for a forward deployed Divisional Air Traffic Services company during Operation Iraqi Freedom II and as a Platoon Leader providing combat aviation support to the 1st Infantry Division. He was subsequently promoted to Captain and served as an Aviation Company Commander and Pilot-In-Command for Company C, 3-1 Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Riley, Kansas from 2006 until 2009 when he transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At Fort Bragg, Chad served as a Senior Rotary Wing Aviator flying Black Hawk helicopters in support of domestic training missions and international military deployments with the 82nd Airborne Division. During his military service, Chad was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, two Air Medals, Combat Action Badge, Senior Aviator Badge, and various other awards and commendations. Chad left the military in December 2012 to live a peaceful life with the love of his life, Nicole Peyton, in Santa Cruz, California, far away from the battlefield. Chad and Nicole were married in September 2014 and together they created two beautiful children, Isla and Ellis. When he wasn’t flying helicopters as a first responder, Chad enjoyed spending time with his family, exercising, hiking in the forest, surfing, traveling, and helping his friends and fellow veterans. Like many combat veterans, Chad battled PTSD, anxiety, and depression. And like many veterans, Chad often fought his battle with limited resources in a civilian world oblivious to his plight. Tragically, we lost Chad on May 17, 2021. He was 40 years old. Losing Chad has been devastating to so many that knew and loved him, especially his wonderful wife Nicole and two beautiful children, Isla and Ellis, who are 5 and 3, respectively, at the time of his death. Chad understood the challenges veterans face and cared deeply about helping the veteran community heal and find peace. It is important that we honor Chad’s legacy and carry out that mission so that our veterans can live long, peaceful lives after sacrificing so much for the Country we all love. Til’ Valhalla my friend. Thank you Matthew Peyton for crafting such a beautiful memoir of Chad, and thank you to Chad’s amazing wife for sharing his story. We appreciate you both!