Hermitage soldier suffers injury in chopper crash in Afghanistan

By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- A Hermitage soldier serving with his unit in Afghanistan suffered a broken nose and bruises in a military helicopter crash that also injured 13 others.
Pfc. Joseph Boyd, 20, of Tamara Trail, was hospitalized after the crash Monday but is expected to be released for light duty, said his sister, Amanda Boyd.
He is the son of Paula Boyd of Hermitage and Elwood Boyd of Philadelphia.
The Boyd family here got a call from the military Monday telling them of the crash, and Boyd himself called home around 3 a.m. Tuesday to let them know he wasn't seriously hurt, Ms. Boyd said.
"He's a tough kid," she said, recalling how he played football for Hickory High School for weeks with a broken kneecap and never told anyone he was hurt because he knew he wouldn't be allowed to play. Boyd also played baseball for Hickory.
About crash: The military described the crash as a "hard landing," but Ms. Boyd said her brother told his family it was worse than that.
He said the helicopter flipped over a few times before coming to rest, pinning him and several other injured soldiers inside, she said.
The crash occurred in the middle of the night, making rescue difficult, he said. Boyd, a member of Bravo Company of the 101st Airborne, said he was on a military mission at the time of the crash but couldn't give his family any more information, Ms. Boyd said.