A Marine with ties to the Tri-State is being remembered as a hero after being killed in Afghanistan in the deadliest one day loss of American forces in four years.
The Military says Marine Captain David Seth Mitchell was inside a helicopter that collided with another helicopter Monday in Helmand Province.
Loveland High School teachers say Mitchell went by his middle name Seth during his years at the school.
Mitchell graduated from Loveland High School in 1997.
His teachers say he always wanted to be a pilot.
He realized his dreams after attending Virginia Tech and joining the Marines where he became a pilot for the military.
There were a lot of tears shed by teachers who remember Captain Mitchell as a hardworker, who was friendly, funny, and outgoing.
Mitchell's former math teacher, Julie Powers, says he was an athlete who played football and ran track.
He was also the senior class president.
"To wake up this morning and come to school and have a colleague say 'hey Julie did you know Seth Mitchell?' I knew it as soon as she said those words. I thought no. It can't be, but you just know it because I knew he was in the military. I knew he had been in Afghanistan before and just that feeling when your heart drops about a foot. The first thing you think of is his mom and dad," Powers said.
Mrs. Powers says Mitchell's parents had relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina after he graduated.
The 30-year-old Marine also leaves behind a younger brother.
A school spokesperson says school alumni will hold a candlelight vigil for Mitchell tonight around dusk in front of the school's flag pole.
