5 Army special operations soldiers killed in Mediterranean Sea helicopter crash identified

The US military has identified the five Army special operations soldiers who were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday.

The Department of Defense confirmed the fallen as Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California; Staff Sgt. Tanner W Grone, 26, of Gorham, Sgt. New Hampshire; Andrew Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona; and Sgt. Cade M Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota.

The crew members were part of the Army’s Special Operations Command and attached to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), known as the Night Stalkers.

The MH-60 Blackhawk was conducting aerial refueling training when the helicopter “experienced an in-flight emergency resulting in the crash,” the DoD said in a statement Monday.

The aircraft crashed off the coast of Cyprus, three US officials told the New York Times.

“There are no indications the crash was caused by enemy / hostile actions,” the DoD shared.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the fallen.”

The Pentagon shared that the Army’s Combat Readiness Center is investigating what caused the crash over Veterans Day weekend.

President Biden released a statement on Sunday mourning the loss of the five elite soldiers, calling “their daily bravery and selflessness is an enduring testament to what is best in our nation.”

“Jill and I are praying for the families and friends who have lost a precious loved one—a piece of their soul. Our entire nation shares their grief,” the Commander-in-Chief added.

Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, the Army Special Operations Command commander, said the fallen soldiers “hail from rare patriotic families with deep military service ties that span multiple generations and formations.”

“Every loss is tough, but in this case, service to the Nation is truly a family business and it’s hard to express the amount of sorrow that we all feel right now.”

Dwyer, a 2009 West Point graduate and the most senior soldier on the aircraft, served as an MH-60M pilot, mission planner, and instructor pilot.

Having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Dwyer’s awards include a Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with Combat device, and multiple personal, service, and campaign awards.

Barnes, the other pilot of the Black Hawk, graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, in 2011 before joining the Army.

Also, having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Barnes’ awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor device (added for heroism in combat) and the Air Medal with Combat device, among other campaign awards.

Grone, an MH-60M crew chief, enlisted in the Army in 2017 as a UH-60 repairer.

He had also been deployed to Afghanistan and multiple times to Iraq.

During his service, Grone was awarded the Air Medal with Combat Device, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal with Combat Device, among many other awards.

Southard, also an MH-60M crew chief, enlisted in the Army in 2015 as a UH-60 repairer.

His first deployment was a 13-month rotation to Task Force Sinai in support of ongoing peacekeeping operations.

He had also deployed to Afghanistan and was awarded two Army Commendation medals and an Army Achievement medal, among other citations.

Wolfe enlisted in the Army in 2018 as a UH-60 repairer and served as an MH-60M crew chief.

His awards and decorations include two Army Commendation medals and an Army Achievement medal.

With Post wires