The U.S. Army on Friday identified the nine soldiers killed in a crash involving HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flying out of Kentucky’s Fort Campbell.
Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), said the deaths "will reverberate through our formations for years to come."
"Now is the time for grieving and healing," he added. "The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers."
ARMY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTERS CRASH, KILLING 9 SERVICE MEMBERS: OFFICIAL
The two helicopters were conducting an exercise around 10 p.m. Wednesday when they went down in an open field next to a residential area, killing everyone on board.
The soldiers killed were identified 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 J. Gayo, 27, of Los Angeles; 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. and Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, New Jersey.
The Army has not disclosed the cause of the crash. An Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Alabama is conducting an investigation into the accident.
On Friday, the 101st Airborne Division posted photos of the fallen soldiers on its Twitter account.
