Courtesy of Barbara McGlynn, Valentines's Day February 20

WHITE, NATHAN DENNIS
LT   US NAVY
VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 09/05/2001 - 04/02/2003
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/12/1972
DATE OF DEATH: 04/02/2003
DATE OF INTERMENT: 04/24/2003
BURIED AT: SECTION 60  SITE 7873
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

April 14, 2003:

AS SAYLIYA CAMP, Qatar - The U.S. military confirmed on Monday that a "friendly" Patriot missile probably shot down an F/A-18C Hornet fighter that came down over Iraq on April 2, 2003, killing the pilot.

Central Command in Qatar named the Navy pilot as Lieutenant Nathan D. White, 30, from Mesa, Arizona. He was based on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.

The U.S. military had previously said it was looking into whether his aircraft may have been hit by a U.S. Patriot missile.

"Indications are that a Patriot missile shot down the F18," a spokesman at Central Command said on Monday.

14 April 2003:

Nathan White had faith — faith in his religion and faith in the military.

In an e-mail White sent to his family while fighting in Iraq, the Navy aviator said he trusted the officers conducting the war and hoped the effort would be worthy.

"Regardless of the destination, I feel I am trained and prepared for any mission or contingency," White wrote. "I have to have faith that those at the helm have fully weighed the consequences and have determined that the resulting good will far outweigh the bad."

White, the pilot of a F-A-18C Hornet, was killed April 2, 2003. The Navy believes his plane was brought down by a Patriot missile. The incident remains under investigation, the Navy said.

In a statement released by the Navy, his family said they are proud of him and that he died doing what he loved.

"Aviation was his passion," the statement read. "He was a man who lived his dream. He died defending this country."

He grew up in Abilene, Texas, and graduated from Cooper High School in 1991. After high school, White attended Brigham Young University. He spent two years serving as a missionary in Japan.

White was assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 195, based in Atsugi, Japan, and had been deployed with Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.

White's survivors include his wife, Akiko, and his three children, Courtney, Austin and Zachary, who are all in Japan.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - A Navy pilot killed when his fighter jet was apparently shot down by friendly fire over Iraq was a dreamer who constantly sought out challenges, his sister said Tuesday.

Lieutenant Nathan D. White, 30, was killed April 2, 2003, when his F/A-18C Hornet was apparently shot down by a U.S. Patriot missile. The military said the incident remains under investigation.

"He just had the nicest personality. There wasn't anyone who knew him that didn't like him. He could tell great stories. He was just captivating," said Ana Mitchell, White's oldest sister.

White was the second oldest of eight children who grew up in Abilene, Texas. He spent two years serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan.

He graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and moved to Mesa, Arizona, to take a management job with a Dillard's department store. After a year in Mesa, White applied to law school and the Naval aviation program, deciding eventually to enter the Navy.

"Nathan was a dreamer. The sky was really the limit for the possibilities he had," Mitchell said from her Provo home. "It sounded exciting. It sounded challenging, intense."

White, the son of an Air Force pilot who fought in Vietnam, was married and had three children. He was serving a three-year stint in Japan and was deployed to the Middle East with Carrier Air Wing Five aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.

Because White's father and stepfather both served in the military during the Vietnam War, Mitchell said the family understands that friendly fire deaths sometimes occur during wartime.

"Mistakes happen that are tragic mistakes," she said. "We feel terrible, but you can't have hatred or malice toward the person that was just doing the best they could."

Still, Mitchell said it's frustrating knowing that her brother's fighter jet was likely shot down by coalition forces.

"It didn't have to happen. We're trying to accept that and work through that. It's frustrating that now he's gone. Our own people killed him," she said.

White is survived by his wife, Akiko, and children, Courtney, Austin and Zachary, who live in Japan.

Mitchell said White will likely be buried in Arlington National Cemetery but no date had been set by Tuesday. Other memorial services were planned in Japan and in Abilene, Texas, where his parents live.

Link: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/nathan-white.htm

24 April 2003:

Wife Akiko White and daughter Courtney stand with other family and friends during the funeral of Navy pilot Lieutenant Nathan White, 30, of Abiline,
Texas, at Arlington National Cemetery April 24, 2003. At far left is White's brother, Sergeant Josh White (R), who holds Nathan's sleeping son
Zachary. Nathan White was shot down by a patriot missile in a 'friendly fire' incident on April 2, 2003 during operations in Iraq

Akiki Ohata White, wife of Navy pilot Lt. Nathan White, and daughter,
Courtney, place their hands over their hearts during a graveside internment
ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Thursday, April 24, 2003.

Navy pilot Lieutenant Nathan White of Mesa is laid to rest in at Arlington National  Cemetery yesterday. His father, Dennis
Manning White (standing at center), gave the  eulogy during the graveside ceremony. Nathan White, whose unit was
based in Japan, was killed by friendly fire April 2, 2003, when his F/A-18C Hornet was shot down by a U.S. Patriot missile over
Iraq. In addition to his  father, Nathan White is also by survived his wife, Akiki Ohata White, and their daughter, Courtney.

Wife Akiko White holds the folded flag as daughter Courtney wipes tears  during the funeral of Navy pilot Lieutenant
Nathan White, 30, of Texas, at  Arlington National Cemetery, April 24, 2003. In addition, his wife and
daughter, White leaves behind son Austin (seated) and Zachary (sleeping), being held by White's brother, Sergeant Josh White (R).

Wife Akiko White and daughter Courtney touch the folded U.S. flag given  to them during the funeral of Navy pilot
Lieutenant Nathan White, 30, of Texas,  at Arlington National Cemetery, April 24, 2003. In addition to his wife and
daughter, White leaves behind son Austin (seated) and Zachry (sleeping), who is  being held by White's brother, Sergeant Josh White.

Wife Akiko White holds the folded flag given to her, as daughter
Courtney wipes tears during the funeral of Navy pilot Lieutenant Nathan
White, 30, of Texas, at Arlington National Cemetery, April 24, 2003.