CRASH VICTIM LIVED TO SERVE VENTURA COUNTY AIRMAN MOURNED.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Even as a young boy growing up in Newbury Park, Sean Corlew knew he wanted a life in the military.

He studied every general he could think of, and he knew all the tactics used in wartime. When he was finally old enough, he enlisted in the Air Force, where he rose to the rank of technical sergeant.

And it was in the service of his country that Corlew, 37, died Wednesday, one of three military crew members killed when their MC-130H crashed on takeoff near the Bande Sardeh Dam in Afghanistan. Seven other airmen survived.

``He loved this country and wanted to do everything he could to save us from the bad guy,'' Sean's father, 68-year-old Richard Corlew, said Thursday in a telephone interview from his Thousand Oaks home. ``He really meant that too.

``He said he was born to do that. He was proud to do it. He was the most patriotic person I ever met in my life.''

Sean Corlew, a graduate of Newbury Park High School, leaves behind a wife, Amy, and two children, Preston, 5, and Miranda, 1, all of Navarre, Fla.

Richard Corlew, who served in the Marines during the Korean War, attributed his son's interest to the family's military roots, which he said can be traced back to the American Revolution.

His son was involved in every major military operation from Panama to the Gulf War, he said.

``When he tucked his kids in at night he knew he had to do everything he could to keep them safe,'' he said. ``He was doing it for every child in the United States.

``His hobby was his job - he really loved his job,'' Corlew said.

Born in Glendora, Corlew relocated with his parents, two sisters and brother to Newbury Park in 1977.

Corlew called his son a typical Southern California boy: blond, good-looking, someone who loved to fish and ride motorcycles.

Sean Corlew also enjoyed airplanes, and had worked briefly for a company that refueled jets at Los Angeles International Airport.

After graduating from Newbury Park High School, where he excelled in sports, especially track, Sean Corlew enlisted in the Air Force on March 14, 1985. He had been assigned to the Air Force's 16th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field in Florida since July 6, 1998.

Lt. Rosemary Heiss, who is stationed at Hurlburt, said Corlew had previously received two Air Force commendations, two Air Achievement medals and four air medals.

The Air Force is planning a memorial service for Corlew and Staff Sgt. Anissa A. Shero, 31, of Grafton, W.Va. Army Sgt. 1st Class Peter P. Tycz II, 32, of Tonawanda, N.Y., also died in the crash.

The bodies of the three will be shipped back to the United States, officials said.

``While the special-operations mission of the 16th Special Operations Wing is inherently dangerous, the entire wing still experiences great sorrow whenever we lose one of our own,'' Col. Lyle Koenig, commander of the 16th Special Operations Wing, said in a statement.

``The military is a close-knit family and the loss of anyone affects us all. As we are thankful for those on board that survived, we also extend our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and unit members of those who gave their lives in honorable service to our country.''

The elder Corlew said he suspected the worst when he learned Wednesday that an MC-130H had crashed in Afghanistan.

His daughter-in-law, Amy, knowing of his serious heart condition, didn't tell him the news. But confirmation came Thursday morning from Sean's brother, Scott, who lives nearby in Simi Valley.

Family members were expected to gather Thursday night.

``It's really breaking us all up,'' Richard Corlew said. ``I can't believe it.''

The last time Corlew saw his son was about two months ago when the family gathered for a three-week visit - Sean Corlew took his family to Disneyland, and visited his childhood home in Newbury Park and his high school.

Richard Corlew said his wife, Jacqueline, was handling the death better than he was.

``She said he did exactly what he wanted to do,'' he said. ``I'm proud, but it doesn't bring his life back.''

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Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sean Corlew, seen in this February 2002 photo with his sister, Michelle Fornario, and his children, Miranda, 1, and Preston, 5, was killed Wednesday in a military plane crash in Afghanistan.