Fort Campbell officials have identified the nine members of the 101st Airborne Division who were killed Wednesday night when two helicopters crashed during a training exercise in Trigg County.
The names were made public Friday following the notification of relatives. The soldiers were:
- Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Florida
- Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, Austin, Texas
- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Mississippi
- Sgt. Isaacjohn 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
- Sgt. David Solinas Jr., 23, of Oradell, New Jersey
According to the release, a U.S. Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived at the crash site to conduct an investigation. The crash involved two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
“This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division,” Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, commander of Fort Campbell and the division, said. “The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come. Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers.”
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
