One of the Army pilots killed in the crash of an Apache helicopter gunship in Iraq on Monday has family in Hawai'i and lived here for several years, a relative said.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ruel M. Garcia, 34, was one of two crew members killed in the crash north of Baghdad, said his grandfather, Nicolas R. Garcia, who lives in Waipi'o.

"I am crying," said a distraught Nicolas Garcia, 80. "When my daughter in California called me I was really crying because he was my first grandson from my oldest daughter. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I can't control my breath."

Ruel Garcia, who was born in Manila in the Philippines, lived with his grandparents in Hawai'i in the early 1990s. His sister, Eden, lives in Waipahu, Nicolas Garcia said.

"He was a good boy. He was very talented," the grandfather said.

Ruel Garcia was based in Texas with the 4th Infantry Division. A friend who was with Garcia's wife, Apple, yesterday said the couple had married in November 2004. Ruel Garcia left for Iraq last November on his second deployment, Nicolas Garcia said.

The aviator's parents live in the Philippines.

Ruel Garcia bought a house in Texas and a one-acre lot.

"That was my advice to him — invest in a lot and land," his grandfather said.

Nicolas Garcia spoke to his grandson by phone before he left for Iraq.

"He told me he's going back to Iraq to continue his obligation as an Army pilot and to protect the country and that's his obligation."

Ruel Garcia joined the Air Force first and later switched to the Army, family said.

He had come to Hawai'i from the Philippines with plans to fly jets.

"He wanted to fly. That was his heart's desire — to become a pilot," said calabash uncle Benny Quiseng. Ruel Garcia went to night school while in the Air Force and got a degree in electrical engineering, Quiseng said.

"He sacrificed his life for what he wanted to be and defended his adopted country," Quiseng said.

According to news reports, the Apache may have been shot down by a missile north of Taji. The helicopter gunship carries a pilot and co-pilot only.

It was the third crash of a U.S. helicopter in two weeks. Twelve U.S. service members and four civilians have been killed in the crashes. The Pentagon is looking into whether the spate of crashes reflects a shift in tactics by militants.

"Is there a pattern? Certainly, in recent weeks, three helicopters have gone down," said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita. "Nothing has been ruled in or out in any of those three cases yet."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.