9 Black Hawk victims identified after Wednesday crash near Fort Campbell
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The nine Fort Campbell soldiers killed in a Black Hawk training exercise Wednesday night have been identified Friday by Fort Campbell officials.
All were killed Wednesday night during a routine training exercise when two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in the Army's 101st Airborne Division crashed in Trigg County, Kentucky west of Fort Campbell. One helicopter was carrying five soldiers and the other carried four.
An Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Ala. is on site and currently conducting a thorough investigation into the incident, Fort Campbell officials say.
Service men and women lost in the crash 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. Isaacjohn 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
All leave behind mourning families and a shocked community.
Elected officials and community leaders with close ties to the installation have expressed condolences as the cause of the crash remains unclear as the investigation continues.
During a Fort Campbell press conference Thursday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear expressed his gratitude for the emergency first responders who were on the scene and acknowledged the grave loss of the nine soldiers.
"The nine individuals we lost are children of God. They will be mourned and missed by their families, by their communities," Beshear said. "We are blessed to live in the freest country in the history of planet Earth, but we must remember that freedom relies on those who are willing to serve, some of which, pay the ultimate price."
The cause of the crash is unclear, and there's no word about how long it will take to complete the investigation.
The service members were killed during a "multi-ship" exercise using night vision goggles, Brig. Gen. John Lubas said at a news conference Thursday.
The two Black Hawk helicopters were HH-60, or utility aircraft used for medical evacuation, capable of holding two pilots and two crew members. It has a top speed of 114 mph and was first contracted for use in 2019, according to military records.
The crash marks one of the deadliest crashes at Fort Campbell in recent history, according to Dawn Grimes, public affairs officer.
A helicopter collision killed 17 in March 1988 while flying during a training mission at Fort Campbell, and in September 1960, an artillery fire killed 16 U.S. Army soldiers during a 3rd Armored Division training exercise in west Germany.
Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell also addressed attendees at the press conference.
“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,” McGee said.
“Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen Soldiers.”
The crash is one of two Black Hawk helicopter crashes in the south region this year.
In February, two crew members of the Tennessee Nation Guard were killed in Alabama in a helicopter crash.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Fort Campbell Black Hawk crash: Nine victims identified, names released
