A Black Hawk Army helicopter that took the life of one soldier when it crashed on a training exercise in southern Maryland in April also left seriously injured Captain Terikazu Onoda, a 2009 West Point graduate who was an alumnus of Irvington High School, Class of 2005.
At Irvington, he was a varsity cross country runner and wrestler. According to retired IHS Principal Dr. Scott Mosenthal, “Terri” (as he is known) “had a large number of friends and was well respected by students and staff alike. He was one of a fairly large number of students who attended West Point about 10 years ago.” As a “Peer Leader,” he was one of a selection group of seniors who worked as mentors to Irvington ninth graders.
His mother has been a nurse in the school district for many years and is expected to retire in June.
According to reports, Onoda was expected to recover, which is only fitting for someone voted by his Irvington classmates as most likely to come out on top as a contestant in Survivor.