Army releases names of all nine troops killed in two Black Hawk chopper crashes over Kentucky
FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY: The Military revealed the names of the nine service members who died in a crash involving two U.S. Army Black Hawk choppers on Friday, March 31. The nine service members were from seven different states and varied in age from 23 to 36. They were from Florida, Texas, Missouri, California, North Carolina, Alabama, and New Jersey, among other states.
Major General JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, stated, "This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division. The loss of these Soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come," according to DailyMail. McGee added, "Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen Soldiers."
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Who were the nine service men?
The names of the deceased include Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Florida, Cpl Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, of Austin, Texas, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Missouri, Sgt Isaac John Gayo, 27, of Los Angeles, California, Staff Sgt Joshua C Gore, 25, of Morehead City, North Carolina, Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32, of Cape Coral, Florida, Staff Sgt Taylor Mitchell, 30, of Mountain Brook, Alabama Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri, and Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, New Jersey.
'The investigation is active'
All nine soldiers were on board the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that crashed on Wednesday, March 29, in southwest Kentucky near Fort Campbell during a medical evacuation training exercise. The 101st Airborne Division's Army base is located about 30 miles to the northwest of Trigg County, Kentucky, where the crash took place. A special military investigation team arrived on the scene on Friday, March 31 because Army authorities claimed the weather had hindered the early work.
Dawn Grimes, a public relations officer at Fort Campbell, stated that the team of roughly eight people from Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived at the area around 7 pm on Thursday, March 30 but rain and wind have hindered their progress, according to DailyMail. "The investigation is active but it has been hampered by weather," Grimes stated.
Army officials claimed that the two Black Hawks were flying together during a nighttime training exercise. Night-vision goggles were being worn by the pilots. Brig Gen John Lubas, the deputy commander of the 101st Airborne, stated that the tragedy happened while flying and not during a medical evacuation training, according to DailyMail.
Black Hawk helicopters have a feature that allows them to save flight data, similar to the black boxes used by investigators to analyze crashes in passenger planes. Officials stated that the device may provide some information regarding the cause of the crash on Wednesday, March 29.
