Remembering Daniel Wadham: Family mourns 'kind and happy' Tennessee NG veteran killed in Black Hawk crash
MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA: Officials have identified the two senior Tennessee National Guardsmen who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash near Huntsville onto an Alabama highway on Wednesday, Feb 15. The two men were taking part in flight instruction and heading towards the Huntsville Executive Airport when the helicopter crashed along Highway 53 and Burwell Road in Madison County near the Alabama-Tennessee border.
The fatal collision resulted in lengthy delays and traffic closures. "Words cannot express my sorrow for the loss of these two Tennessee National Guardsmen," Gen Warner Ross stated at a press meet. "It is felt not only within the ranks of the Tennessee National Guard, but across our entire military community."
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'It's a pile of rubble'
Another angle of the Blackhawk crash in Harvest, Alabama from home surveillance.
— Ｎｅｒｄｙ 🅰🅳🅳🅸🅲🆃 (@Nerdy_Addict) February 15, 2023
You can hear the engine going but the chopper descends at high rate with no resistance from rotors as it nose dives at end. pic.twitter.com/lWAyPyrSi2
Thick, black smoke could be seen rising from the crash site in surveillance footage. The fire was put out quickly. When firefighters arrived, the helicopter had "exploded on impact and was burning," according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office, adding, "It's a pile of rubble." Before there was a thunderous explosion, the chopper spiraled out of the sky as seen on terrifying security footage from a neighboring house. Colleagues in the military who were grieving were devastated to hear of the death of Wadham and Randolph, reports Daily Mail.
Who was Daniel Wadham?
Daniel Wadham, who was a Chief Warrant Officer 3, of Joelton, Tennessee served for 15 years. The National Guard revealed that Wadham was posted at Berry Field Air National Guard Base in Nashville with A Company, 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, reports Yahoo! News.
'Kind, happy and positive'
Wadham, a married man with two young daughters, was regarded for his friendliness and inspiration. Jamie Smith, a fellow service member, stated in a post about his loss, "For the years that I was fortunate enough to know Wadham and his wife, Zetty, they were always so kind, happy, and positive." He added, "Always sharing updates with me, supporting me throughout all the deployments, and Army training, they always had their door wide open for me...I always enjoyed laughing and smiling, watching their girls grow up and all the silly stuff Wadham would say and share."
'We lost one of the very best soldiers'
Wadham's fellow service member later continued the post about the wife's shocking condition after learning about the tragedy. "Zetty is living the nightmare of every aviator’s family, waking up one day to find that the love of her life is never coming home after flying THOUSANDS of hours," wrote Smith. "Daniel not only leaves behind 2 beautiful daughters and an incredible wife, but a huge hole in our military family. I know I speak for all of us when I say we lost one of the very best Soldiers this world has ever seen."
'A great father, a great soldier'
Veteran Johnathon Schleicher of Tennessee recalled Wadham as being more than just a soldier. "For those who don't know, we lost a true warrior yesterday. Anyone who ever knew Daniel Wadhamknew he was the definition of the all too familiar description "Jack of all trades." He had his fingers in everything, but above all, he was a great father, a great Soldier... and a great man," Schleicher stated.