By: Richard L. Smith
Fort Campbell has released the identities of nine 101st Airborne Division Soldiers who died when two Blackhawk helicopters went down Wednesday evening in Trigg County, Kentucky.
One of the soldiers killed is a Bergen County resident, officials confirmed.
The Soldiers were killed while participating in a planned training exercise and has been identified as the following:
* 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, Alabama
* Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri
* Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, 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.”
An Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Ala., is on-site and currently conducting a thorough investigation into the accident.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise on Saturday, April 1, until sunset on Monday, April 3, in honor of the Fort Campbell soldiers who died during a training exercise.
