Army Captain Kimberly Nicole Hampton was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 82nd Aviation Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC. She was killed during her second term of military service when her OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter was shot down by enemy ground fire in Fallujah, Iraq.

Kimberly Hampton, daughter of Dale and Ann Hampton of Easley, and my niece, was an honors graduate from Presbyterian College (PC). Excelling in tennis, she never lost a match during her time in college. While at PC, she became the battalion commander of the ROTC unit there. This helped her to prepare for commanding the Delta Troop in the 1st Squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment in Iraq.

On January 2, 2004, Captain Kimberly Hampton, at age 27, became the first female pilot to be killed in action in the military history of the United States of America.

A flag sponsored by Patsy Hampton Finley in honor of Captain Hampton will be displayed at location E-5 throughout the 2024 Upstate Field of Honor®.