Oradell soldier killed in helicopter crash remembered as 'always there helping people'

To those who knew him, it was never a surprise when David Solinas Jr. enlisted in the Army. Some kids want to play in the NBA, and others want to be astronauts. But Solinas, from the time he was little, wanted to serve his country.

"He always wanted to serve," said his father, David Sr. "Whether it's Eagle Scouts or working with special needs children ... He wanted to be in the military for a long time."

Sergeant Solinas, 23, of Oradell, was one of nine soldiers who died March 29 when two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed during a drill outside Fort Campbell in Kentucky, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division said.

An aviation safety team from Fort Rucker in Alabama is investigating the crash, according to the 101st Airborne's statement.

The helicopters were flying in a "multi-ship formation," with personnel using night vision goggles, Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, told USA Today. There were five people in one helicopter, four in the other.

The life of David Solinas Jr.

Solinas was the second of four boys born to David and Ellen Solinas. He was Oradell through and through, graduating from River Dell High School in 2018.

The passion for military service started at a young age. His brothers — Stephen, Brendan and Aidan — recall him playing Army in the backyard with his friends and watching Navy SEAL videos as a little kid.

When he graduated from high school, it was more a question of when he was going to enlist, rather than if. Ellen wanted him at least to try college. So he went Norwich University, a military school in Vermont. But after a year, he left because he didn't want to keep waiting.

The Army was his calling.

Solinas' life was one of service, not just to his country, but to his community. Like the rest of his family, Solinas was actively involved in Boy Scouts, eventually achieving Eagle Scout rank.

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For his Eagle Scout project, he fixed up a trail in Oradell's Lotus Woods, which meant fixing the stairs, putting up a new sign, cleaning the trail and putting up markers.

Beyond that, he also did volunteer work with local special needs children, accompanying them on pilgrimage trips to Lourdes, France, and was actively involved in church youth groups.

Solinas had a personality that stuck with the people around him. His family and friends had the same verdict when asked about that personality: He was funny.

Ellen said her son's goal was to make everyone laugh no matter the circumstances, and he seemingly always did. And he would commit to the bit.

Every year for Christmas, he would ask for a pony. Well, one year his parents finally relented — sort of. Instead of the real thing, they got him a "My Little Pony" sticker. Still, his brothers said he was over the moon.

"He finally got his pony," Aidan said.

Solinas was proudly scuba certified, and he even turned it into one of his recurring jokes, making sure to ask everyone if they were, too, and would rub it in their face if they weren't.

A multi-sport athlete, Solinas wrestled and played soccer. He was the guy who got everyone on the bus to laugh, keeping everyone loose.

But he was also brave. At a wrestling team dinner one year, Solinas did what no one else ever had the guts to do. He asked then-coach Mike Tota's wife if she wanted to dance. She obliged.

"No one has ever done that before or since," Tota said.

Although he could be the one to make his wrestling teammates crack up, Solinas was an intense competitor when it came time to wrestle, his former coaches said.

"He was one of the funniest kids you'd ever meet," said former assistant and current River Dell head coach Nick Baranello. "And he was one of the hardest workers you'd ever meet. He was always there helping people."

Baranello described it as flipping a switch in practice. He was fully committed not only to becoming a better wrestler, but to helping his teammates, too.

After Solinas graduated, he kept in touch with Tota. He even invited his former coach to his Eagle Scout ceremony, where he gave Tota a mentor pin.

"It was one of the greatest honors of my coaching career," Tota said.

Solinas also was incredibly loyal to his friends.

Jake Strick first met Solinas when they were 3 years old at the Oradell swim club. They never stopped being friends. When the two got to middle school, they met Justin Sanchez, who then joined their friend group.

"He was always down to have a good time no matter what," Sanchez said. "As long as we had a smile on our face or laughing or cracking jokes or doing something that was funny ... that was his main focus always."

His intense competitiveness was present in his friendships. Aside from taking part in hours-long FIFA video game tournaments ("We played that game a lot," said Sanchez), Solinas would take it personally if someone said he wasn't able to do something.

"That man could do anything he put his mind to," Strick said. "If someone told him he wasn't capable of something, he'd just go to hell and back to prove them wrong. That's just the type of man he was."

Army experience

Strick and Sanchez also knew their "once in a lifetime" friend was bound for the Army, or at the very least someplace where he could be outside.

"I think he was just really excited to do something that meant something," Sanchez said. "Everything that he always did was with a huge purpose."

Growing up, he was always active, never content to sit around and do nothing. That mentality carried into his military service.

Stationed throughout the South, Solinas eventually got his wings, and he trained to become a medic while also earning the rank of sergeant.

"It was amazing watching him do everything he did," Brendan Solinas said. "Especially in the amount of time he achieved everything."

The community has come out in support of the Solinas family. People have been in and out of the house, helping the family from morning until night. In addition to tending to the family's needs, the community has been sharing stories about Solinas. The borough of Oradell urged residents to tie yellow ribbons around trees in town, in his honor.

The Solinas family started a GoFundMe campaign to honor his legacy and continue to pay it forward. The goal is to use the money raised to give back to various organizations so he can continue to serve even after his death. So far, it has collected over $54,000 in donations.

Before he died, Solinas said how proud he was of everyone in his life and how grateful he was. For someone who gave so much to the community during his life, it's only fitting that the giving will continue in his name.

It's clear that Solinas will not be forgotten. As the family continues to maintain his legacy, Ellen Solinas will remember how hard her son would work for the things he cared about.

"He worked hard to achieve anything he wanted to," she said. "And that he did."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Oradell NJ soldier David Solinas Jr. remembered by loved ones