Thomas Heitmann grew into a lean, handsome, hazel-eyed, 6-foot-2 inch blond lifeguard who played football and starred in stage performances at St. Bede. He loved to dance and sing and listen to Mumford & Sons, Jack Johnson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His favorite movie was "Top Gun."
"He's a difficult person to describe," said Abbot Philip Davey, who has been at the school, which has an enrollment of 295, since 1967. "He was both serious and playful. He was disciplined and had purpose, but he loved to laugh and be with friends. He also had this personality that was universally friendly."
That drive and discipline crystallized in Heitmann's role as a runner. He earned a fourth-place medal in the state finals in the 800-meter run as a senior in 2002. A year earlier Heitmann earned fifth place in the state competition as a member of St. Bede's 3,200-meter relay team. He holds two St. Bede records in track.
"Tommy was just a class A person," said his coach, Mike Skoflanc. "As an athlete, he was one of the best competitors I've ever been around, but he was so well rounded, you couldn't pinpoint him as one thing."
After graduating high school, Heitmann took a year to figure out what he wanted and settled on becoming a Marine pilot, a path that complemented his integrity and his desire to push himself, relatives and friends said. Heitmann enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy & College in Wayne, Pa., then earned a scholarship to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
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Shortly after noon Sept. 19, 2011, Heitmann was at the controls of a Cobra helicopter at Camp Pendleton when the aircraft was struck by a red-tailed hawk, shattering a control line to the main rotors. In a few seconds, the helicopter broke into three pieces and hit the ground, killing Heitmann and his trainer, Capt. Jeffrey Bland, 37, of Champaign, in a fiery crash.