David Scott Connolly was born on December 12, 1967, in Stoneham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He was married to Debra Connolly. He graduated from Boston College's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program and was commissioned as an Army officer in 1994. He went on to serve on active duty as an Army Ranger, completed a combat tour in Iraq, and earned his law degree from Suffolk Law School in 2003. After transitioning to civilian life, Connolly joined the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, where he served as a prosecutor in the Boston Municipal Court. Less than a year later, his Army Reserve unit was mobilized for deployment. Assigned to the 1173rd Transportation Terminal Battalion, based in Brockton, Massachusetts, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On April 6, 2005, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter #88-00100, flying under the callsign “WINDY-25”, crashed near Khudaidad village, in Afghanistan's Ghazni Province, approximately 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Kabul. The aircraft belonged to Company F ("Big Windy") of the 159th Aviation Regiment, part of the 12th Aviation Brigade, which at the time was assigned to V Corps and based in Germany. WINDY-25 had departed on a routine resupply and passenger transport mission, carrying personnel and supplies between forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan. The Chinook was transporting a mixed group consisting of Army soldiers, National Guard personnel, a Marine, Army Reserve personnel, and civilian contractors. As the helicopter approached the Ghazni area, it encountered a severe dust storm with winds exceeding 45 knots. These conditions created a "brownout" environment, in which blowing dust completely obscured visual references. During the flight, the pilots lost outside visibility and attempted to transition from visual flying to instrument flight procedures. Investigators later determined that the crew became spatially disoriented, meaning they could no longer accurately perceive the aircraft's attitude and movement. While attempting to regain control, the helicopter was over-controlled and ultimately crashed. All 18 people aboard were killed: five Army crewmembers and thirteen passengers. The aircraft was destroyed. Subsequent investigations found no evidence of enemy fire or hostile action; the accident was attributed entirely to the extreme weather conditions and the resulting loss of situational awareness.

Cpt Connolly was among the passengers aboard the aircraft and was killed in the crash. He is posthumously promoted to Major. He is now buried in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.chinook-helicopter.com, www.dvidshub.net, thefallen.militarytimes.com