CEDAR FALLS - A Cedar Falls High School graduate was one of eight soldiers killed in southeastern Afghanistan when a military helicopter crashed Sunday.

Army Spec. Travis Vaughn, 25, a 1999 C.F. graduate, was on board the CH-47 Chinook that was carrying 22 soldiers. Vaughn's stepmother, Kandie, said Travis had been to the Middle East several times as part of a special operations unit. He never stayed more than two months, but returned often.

"Travis was an awesome kid, awesome guy," Kandie Vaughn said. "I say kid, but he had grown up into a fine young man. He had been going to Hawkeye and didn't see much of a future there. That's when he decided to join and he gave 150 percent."

Kandie Vaughn said one of her favorite memories of Travis was a camping trip he went on with her then fourth-grade son, Adam.

"He got off the plane from boot camp and got on the bus with about 50 fourth-graders to go camping," she said. "He barely had time to unpack his stuff. That's the kind of kid he was."

Like many 20-something men, Kandie said Travis loved four-wheelers and fast motorcycles.

"He got plenty of speeding tickets," she said, laughing.

The family has yet to hear when Travis' body will be returned to the U.S. or when he will return to the Cedar Valley for a funeral. Kandie believes he will remain at Fort Campbell in Kentucky for at least a couple of days for a service there.

Travis married Heather Reinertson of Waterloo in 2005. According to his engagement announcement he is the son of Christine Vaughn and Brad Vaughn.

Kandie said Travis had taken in Heather's son, Taylin, 5, like he was his own.

The Rev. John Fuller of Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls presided over the couple's wedding. He didn't know Vaughn well, but said he was a "good kid and he married a nice gal."

Fuller has been in contact with Heather Vaughn's parents, Rod and Elaine Reinertson, as they head to Tennessee to be with her. Travis' funeral is planned at Prairie Lakes, but a date has not been set.

Travis' helicopter crashed in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province, about 50 yards from the main highway between Kabul and Kandahar. It appeared to be destroyed and scattered in several places, however, 14 people on board did survive.

The helicopter had a "sudden unexplained loss of power and control and crashed," according to a statement issued by the U.S.-led coalition.

"It was not enemy fire related," said Col. Tom Collins, the spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. "The pilot was able to radio in that he was having engine problems. We're confident it was not due to enemy action."

The incident Sunday was the first U.S. military helicopter crash since May 2006, when a CH-47 helicopter that attempted a nighttime landing on a small mountaintop crashed in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. soldiers.

The military relies heavily on helicopters for transport and operations because of Afghanistan's forbidding terrain and lack of passable roads. Dust and high altitude of Afghan's mountains take a heavy toll on helicopter engines.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1520 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.