Update, 3 p.m.: The identities of nine 101st Airborne Division soldiers killed in Wednesday’s helicopter crash have been released by Fort Campbell following the official notification of their families.
Below are the names, ages and homes of record for each of soldiers.
- 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.
“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,” said Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell. “Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers.”
Previously:
FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Next-of-kin notifications are still under way for the nine 101st Airborne Division soldiers killed in a helicopter crash this week, but family members have identified some of those who were in the crash.
The helicopters crashed at about 10 p.m. Wednesday during a night-time training mission over Cadiz, Kentucky, killing everyone on board.
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According to Clarksville Now news partner WKRN-Channel 2 in Nashville, one of the victims was Caleb Gore.
He is the son of Tim Gore, a pastor at Fremont Missionary Baptist Church in Wayne County, North Carolina. Gore described his son as “a loving and wonderful child” and “everything a father could possibly wish for.”
Another of the crash victims was 30-year-old Taylor Mitchell of Alabama, according to his brother, Garrett Mitchell, who told WKRN his brother had been in the military for nine years.
The crash investigation
A special military investigative team was at the crash scene Friday, Army officials told the Associated Press.
The team of about eight members from Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived around 7 p.m. Thursday night but rain and wind have slowed their efforts, said Dawn Grimes, a public information officer at Fort Campbell.
The two HH60 Black Hawk helicopters were involved in a routine training mission when they crashed in Trigg County, Kentucky, according to Fort Campbell.
At a news conference on Thursday, 101st Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. John Lubas said the two HH60 Black Hawk medical evacuation aircraft were conducting a routine training.
The were flying a multi-ship formation using night-vision goggles, Lubas said, with five personnel in one helicopter and four in the other. All nine were killed in the crash, and there were no transports from the scene.
The crash was in an open field across from a residential area, and there were no casualties or injuries on the ground, Lubas said.
Other aircraft were in the vicinity, so they were able to notify Fort Campbell immediately of the crash.
An aircraft safety team from Fort Rucker will analyze flight data from the helicopters and the crash scene to determine the cause.
