Operation dragonfly has landed. Capt. Kimberly Hampton, an Easley, Pickens County native, died when the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter she was flying was shot down near Fallujah, Iraq on January 2, 2004. Captain Hampton was the first female military pilot in United States history to be shot down and killed as a result of hostile fire. She was also the first female combat casualty in Iraq from South Carolina. 

Hampton was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Purple Heart. Operation Dragonfly is a community effort to establish a memorial park, including an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter, at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Library in Pickens County, SC. Efforts for years have been ongoing to establish a memorial park to include an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter at the site of the Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley, Pickens County, SC.

Mr. Jim Garrison created a rendering of the memorial which has inspired many public officials and private citizens to support the idea of this project. He and his wife, Betty Garrison, formed a committee to help push the idea toward reality.

The design envisioned by Mr. Garrison included mounting a helicopter similar to the one Capt. Hampton was piloting when she was shot down near Fallujah above four stone pillars. Steel pipe columns, eight inches in diameter, would be set inside the columns to support the aircraft.

Hot dip galvanizing was chosen to protect the columns and the connecting hardware from rust for decades to come. The aesthetic of the matte gray galvanized finish compliments the stone and military helicopter “hovering” above it. Special care was taken in the design and placement of vent holes in columns to ensure corrosion protection inside and out, and to prevent damage during the galvanizing process. The galvanized coating was provided at no charge as a donation to the project.

Now complete, the monument will stand as a testament to patriotic sacrifice for generations to come.

Coating Thickness