LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The 101st Combat Air Division held a private memorial service on Thursday for the nine service members who died in a crash involving two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters last month near Fort Campbell.
The service was streamed live on Facebook for those who couldn't attend in person.
It included tribute videos, a flyover and a playing of "taps."
The soldiers were killed when the two helicopters collided. The military identified the victims as:
- 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 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
- Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, New Jersey
Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed near Fort Campbell on March 30 in southwest Kentucky during a medical evacuation training exercise, killing all nine soldiers aboard the two aircrafts. The crash occurred in Trigg County, Kentucky, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of the Army post that is home to the 101st Airborne Division.
The two Black Hawks were flying together during a training exercise at night, Army officials said. The pilots were using night-vision goggles. The accident occurred during flying and not during the course of a medical evacuation drill, said Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander.
The crash was the deadliest training incident for the Army since March 2015, when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the water off the Florida coast in dense fog, said Jimmie Cummings, spokesperson for the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker. Four soldiers from the Louisiana Army National Guard and seven Marine special operations forces were killed.
An investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
Related Stories:
- 9 killed in Army Black Hawk helicopter crash near Fort Campbell
- Victims identified in deadly Army Black Hawk crash near Fort Campbell
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
