Chief Warrant Officer 2 Edward Duane Cantrell was born on December 16, 1975, in Dyersburg, Tennessee. He joined the Army in 1994 and served for nearly 18 years, rising from the enlisted ranks to become a Special Forces warrant officer.
Edward’s early assignments took him to the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Howze, Korea, and to the 503rd Military Police Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He deployed in support of Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He then earned his Green Beret and later completed the Warrant Officer Candidate Course and the Special Forces Warrant Officer Basic Course. As an assistant detachment commander, his rank and training allowed him to lead half of his 12-man team whenever it split for a mission. He served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and with the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg.
Edward completed six combat deployments, one to Iraq and five to Afghanistan, the most recent of which ended in August 2011. His decorations include four Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device, four more Army Commendation Medals, 11 Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with four campaign stars, the Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge. He also received the Bruce E. Price Leadership Award.
Edward lived with his wife, Louise, and their daughters, Isabella and Natalia, in a century-old house outside Hope Mills, near Fayetteville. Shortly before 2 a.m. on March 6, 2012, a fire broke out while the family slept upstairs. Edward and Louise escaped by jumping from a second-story window. Louise ran next door for help, and Edward went back into the burning house to rescue the girls. Edward, 36, and his daughters, Isabella, 6, and Natalia, 4, died in the fire. Investigators found no foul play and ruled the fire accidental; the dry, aged wood of the old house made it burn with terrible speed.
“There are no words to express the sorrow felt in our close-knit community when one of our families suffers such a loss,” an Army Special Forces Command spokeswoman said. Edward rests beside his daughters in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. A man who had faced the enemy through six combat tours gave his life as a father, trying to reach his children. He is survived by his wife, Louise.
Chief Edward Cantrell tragically lost his life attempting to save his two daughters, Isabella and Natalia, when their home caught fire at 2:00am.
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Sources
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Edward Cantrell bio
- CNN: Special Forces soldier, daughters die in burning home (March 6, 2012)
- WWAY: Fire that killed soldier, girls ruled accidental
- ABC11: Charcoal grill could have started triple fatal fire in Hope Mills
- Fallen Heroes Project: Edward Duane Cantrell and his daughters
