Age 36. Married, 2 children. Killed in action: Mar. 20, 2003

Nancy Chamberlain of Winslow, Ariz., had a "bad feeling" when she learned about a military helicopter crash near the Kuwait-Iraq border on the first day of the invasion.

She knew her son, Marine Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, was likely engaged in combat and piloting the type of CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter employed to fly troops into harm�s way.

Nancy�s intuition would prove correct.

Jay was a Marine�s Marine, a rare breed of officer who had done a stint in the enlisted ranks before being commissioned a "gentleman." After leaving military service for a time, he married, had two children and earned a college degree. After graduation, he returned to the Marines, this time as a second lieutenant.

Jay knew he was destined to become an aviator, having grown up flying with his pilot father. Like most cadet pilots, he hoped to fly jet fighters. But a minor eye problem prevented him from pursuing that track. Instead, Jay became a "Top Gun" helicopter pilot, a title earned for being the best of the best.

Jay�s sunny personality preordained his pilot call sign. Instead of �Mad Dog� or the usual macho moniker, the chopper pilot with the ever-present smile became known as "Sweet Pea." It was a no-brainer. Everyone thought Jay was one of the nicest guys on the planet.

Prior to the Iraq invasion, Jay told his stepmother, Carol Aubin, "Don't tell this to Dad, but if something starts up, I'll be in the thick of it."

In the early hours of the war, Jay � very much in the thick of it � was tasked with ferrying a contingent of British Marines to the combat forward areas.

A fierce sandstorm forced the pilot to abort the mission. But somewhere over the barren terrain near the Iraq border, the helicopter developed mechanical problems and crashed. No one on board survived.

When Aubin was sent to the Persian Gulf six weeks ago, relatives said, he told his mother not to worry about him. He was scheduled to be promoted to major upon returning home. Instead, he was promoted posthumously by President Bush.

Now, there was only the howling of the desert wind � and a mother�s memory of a son with a "wonderful smile."

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Postscript: The American crew and eight British Marines were the first to perish in the Iraq war. The other U.S. Marines killed in the crash were Capt. Ryan Beaupre (co-pilot), 30, of Bloomington, Ill., Cpl. Brian Kennedy (crewman), 25, of Houston, and Staff Sgt. Kendall Watersbey (crewman), 29, of Baltimore. Maj. Aubin, the command pilot, was assigned to the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.

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