Army identifies ALL NINE soldiers killed aboard two Black Hawk choppers that ... trends now

The nine service members who died in a crash involving two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters ranged in age from 23 to 36 and were from seven states, the military said on Friday as it released their names on Friday.

The service members came from states across the country: Florida, Texas, Missouri, California, North Carolina, Alabama and 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 (Air Assault) 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.'

The fallen have been named 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. 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, AlabamaChief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri and Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, New Jersey.

The Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed near Fort Campbell on Wednesday night in southwest Kentucky during a medical evacuation training exercise, killing all nine soldiers aboard the two aircrafts. 

The crash occurred in Trigg County, Kentucky, about 30 miles northwest of the Army post that is home to the 101st Airborne Division.

A special military investigative team was on the scene Friday but weather conditions have slowed the early work, Army officials said.

The team of about eight members from Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived at the scene around 7pm on Thursday night but rain and wind have slowed their efforts, said Dawn Grimes, a public information officer at Fort Campbell.

'The investigation is active but it has been hampered by weather,' Grimes said Friday.

The two Black Hawks were flying together during a training exercise at night, Army officials said. The pilots were using night-vision goggles. 

The accident occurred during flying and not during the course of a medical evacuation drill, said Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander.

The Black Hawk helicopters have something similar to the black boxes on passenger planes, which records the performance of aircrafts in flight and are used by investigators to analyze crashes. 

Officials said they are hoping that device yields some information about the cause of Wednesdays crash.

Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes enlisted in the Army from Milton, Florida in 2010 attending basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Barnes was subsequently assigned to 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade as a 15R, attack Helicopter Repairer in Savannah, Georgia. In February 2015 he was assigned as a squad leader in 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade at Camp Humphreys, Korea.

Barnes served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Pilot for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division since October of 2022 and was deployed to Afghanistan to   support Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos was born in the Philippines. She enlisted in the Army from Austin, Texas in 2019 and attended basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Bolanos was a UH-60 Helicopter Repairer and UH-60 Air Crewmember for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. In 2020 Bolanos she served for nine months in Germany. 

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza enlisted in the Army from Jackson, Missouri in 2010. He attended basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Esparza served in Okinawa,

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