Fort Campbell soldiers killed in helicopter crash: Who are the 160th SOAR Night Stalkers

Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean
Updated ·3 min read

The soldiers killed in Black Hawk helicopter fatal over the Mediterranean Sea this weekend were some of Fort Campbell's own.

Five members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, were killed when their helicopter crashed during a refueling training off of the coast of Cyprus on Saturday, according to U.S. officials. Officials have yet to release the cause of the crash but have maintained that there are no indications of any hostile activity involved.

The New York Times reported that the five killed were members of the 160th based out of Fort Campbell which sits on the border of Kentucky and Tennessee at Clarksville.

Here's what we know about the Night Stalkers.

Who was killed in the helicopter crash in the Mediterranean?

The Pentagon released the names of the five U.S. Army service members on Monday. Those who died were:

  • Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee

  • Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California

  • Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire

  • Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona

  • Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota

Where is the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment based out of?

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and encompasses part of Clarksville, Tennessee.

The 160th has almost 3,000 soldiers and more than 200 aircraft, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Tragic losses: Fort Campbell mourns for second time in 2023 after another fatal helicopter crash

Who are the Night Stalkers?

Originally created as Task Force 160, the unit started with soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. It was in October 1981 that the unit was officially designated the 160th Aviation Battalion.

The Night Stalkers is the moniker the 160th took up due to the unit being a pioneer in the Army's nighttime flying techniques after it was established in the 80s and "its capability to strike undetected during the hours of darkness and its unprecedented combat successes", according to the 160th's website.

Their motto is, “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.”

How many people are stationed at Fort Campbell?

Statistics from the Department of Defense and Military OneSource, has that Fort Campbell supports over 250,532 persons as of 2021. Including:

  • Active Military: 27,057

  • Family Members: 51,480

  • Civilians: 6,340

  • Contract Employees: 1,583

  • Military Retirees: 71,106

  • Retiree Family: 92,966

  • Family Housing: 4,457

  • Barracks: 10,059

The history of Fort Campbell

The installation is named after former Tennessee Governor and Civil War Union General William Bowen Campbell.

Fort Campbell was originally established in 1942 as a war-time armor training and mobilization camp during WWII and became a permanent installation in 1950, according to Military OneSource. Between 1948 and 1965, Campbell was also home to Clarksville Base, a top-secret nuclear weapons storage and modification facility.

Since then, the U.S. Army installation has been home to multiple airborne, armored and infantry units.

Campbell has served as a training installation since it began and since 2002 its units have been among the most deployed combat units in the Army, according to OneSource.

The Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 5th Special Forces Group and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment all call Fort Campbell home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who were Fort Campbell 160th SOAR soldiers killed in helicopter crash