Art Laguna was an Army Aviator and a strong L-17 enthusiast, providing great information to L-17.ORG. I never had a chance to meet Art, but we looked forward to the possibility at some point. I learned not all that long ago that we lost Art in Iraq (from his wife):

"Art was killed in Baghdad on January 23, 2007 flying an MD500 for Blackwater air providing cover for an embassy convoy that had come under attack. Five men lost their lives flying cover that day. The woman in charge of reconstructing Iraq and other members of the convoy were safe and made it back to base."