PICTURED: Five US soldiers killed in helicopter crash during routine flight training in the Mediterranean Sea
Five US Army Special Operations soldiers have been identified after being killed in a helicopter crash in the Mediterranean Sea.
The MH-60 Blackhawk was on a refueling training mission when it suffered an in-flight emergency and crashed off the coast of Cyprus late Friday.
The soldiers were named as Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen Dwyer, 38; Chief Officer 2 Shane Barnes, 34; Staff Sergeant Tanner Grone, 26; Sergeant Andrew Southard, 27; and Sergeant Cade Wolfe, 24.
The men came from Clarksville, Tennessee; Sacramento, California; Gorham, New Hampshire; Apache Connection, Arizona; and Mankato, Minnesota, respectively.
“We mourn the loss of these five incredible soldiers, each of them a national treasure,” said Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen Dwyer, 38 (left) and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane Barnes, 34 (right)
Staff Sergeant Tanner Grone, 26 (left) and Sergeant Andrew Southard, 27 (right)
Sergeant Cade Wolfe was the youngest soldier to die at the age of 24
He reported that the men came from families with close ties to the military.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, their loved ones and their fellow soldiers,” Braga continued.
“As the special operations community always does, we will wrap our arms around them, grieve with them and promise to never forget them.”
In the days following their deaths, friends and relatives of the fallen soldiers posted moving memorials on social media commemorating their lives.
Coty DeWitt, a fellow soldier and close friend of Dwyer, said he was at a loss for words.
“This has dismantled myself and all others whose lives you touched with your smooth approach and calm presence in the most chaotic situations,” he wrote.
“You kept me on the straight and narrow when I was wild, you calmed me down when I was a rowdy sergeant, and I will miss you forever.”
Doug McFarland, who played rugby with Dwyer at West Point, remembered the 2009 graduate as a “Lively, devious, hilarious and larger than life guy’ and also ‘the man you wanted to be.’
Southard previously deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom
Grone deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan and received a series of medals
The 26-year-old was lovingly remembered by his family (second from right)
Jeff Heppner, a soldier who knew all the soldiers, began his eulogy with a moving message to Barnes.
The 34-year-old graduated from Gonzaga University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.
He later attended flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama and became a UH-60L Blackhawk pilot.
“Have you ever had that friend you could talk to about anything? That was him. Always calm, cool and one of the best pilots this world has probably ever seen,” Heppner wrote.
“He had a knack for getting the best out of everyone around him and was the glue that held us together in the pilot’s office.”
Among the most heartbreaking messages were those from Grone’s family.
The 26-year-old deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan and received a series of medals for his dedication to the service.
Grone’s parents said they were “extremely proud” of the person their son had become.
“Thank you for all these wonderful years,” the couple, Steve and Erica, wrote. ‘Please watch over us. I love you and cannot express how much you will be missed.”
“You definitely left a mark,” his sister wrote in a separate post. “I’m grateful to call you my brother, you will be missed every day.”
A friend of Southard described him as ‘loyal, truly courageous’ and the ‘best mustache grower in the world’
Wolfe was an avid athlete who enjoyed skating and cycling as a child
The helicopter was from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which transports commando troops on raids (photo: a Blackhawk helicopter)
Chance Schick, a friend of Southard’s, fondly remembered his friend as “loyal, truly brave” and the “best mustache grower in the universe.”
The 27-year-old was previously deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“It’s Veterans Day, but from now on it’s your day,” Schick wrote.
Wolfe, who was only 24 at the time of his death, was the youngest soldier killed in the crash.
“Rest assured to the kid who wouldn’t leave a skateboard, scooter or BMX bike alone as a kid,” wrote a friend, describing him as “the kid who always made everyone laugh.”
She continued, “Rest assured for the man who made a woman a woman, protected our country and made everyone proud.”
The soldiers were all members of the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as the Night Stalkers.
They were among the pilots who had to transport the commandos on secret missions.