The US Army identifies 9 soldiers killed in a Black Hawk helicopter collision

The US military on Friday determined that nine soldiers were killed in a mid-air collision between two Black Hawk helicopters near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on Wednesday night.

The Army said in a news release that the US service members were on board two HH60 Black Hawk helicopters during a routine training mission when the accident occurred.

Army officials said during a news briefing about the collision that five crew members were on one helicopter and four in the other. They added that the accident occurred near a residential field and therefore “no citizen was injured as a result of the accident.”

“This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne,” Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, said in a statement Friday. “The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come. Now is a time for grief and healing. The whole divide and this community stands behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers.”

Here’s what we know about the dead soldiers from personnel records released by the US military:

Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey Barnes, 33, of Milton, Fla.:

Jeffrey Barnes, originally from Florida, joined the Army in 2010. He trained at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and Fort Eustis, Virginia. Barnes’ service included deployments to Afghanistan.

Cpl. Emily Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, from Austin, Texas:

Bolanos was born in the Philippines on December 20, 1991. In 2019 she joined the army. She trained at Fort Jackson and Fort Eustis. Bolanos spent nine months in Germany.

Petty Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Missouri:

In 2010, Esparza from Texas joined the Army. Trained at Fort Jackson and Fort Gordon, Georgia. Esparza has served on many overseas missions, including two overseas tours in Japan and Hawaii. He was deployed to Afghanistan and also served 10 months in Egypt.

Sgt. Isaac Gayo, 27, from Los Angeles, California:

Gayo was born in the Philippines and in 2019 he joined the army. He was living in Los Angeles and trained at Fort Jackson and Fort Eustis. Gayo was later assigned to Camp Humphreys, Korea, where he served in various positions on the UH-60 crew.

Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25, of Morehead City, North Carolina:

Born in Virginia, Gore joined the Army from Morehead City, North Carolina. Gore trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He also worked as a flight medic.

Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32, of Cape Coral, Fla

A native of Florida, Healy was drafted into the army from Cape Coral. Healy attended basic training at Fort Jackson, then the Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Healy served as an air medical evacuation pilot. He was deployed on two tours to Afghanistan.

Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, of Mountain Brook, Alabama

Mitchell from Alabama enlisted in the Army in 2014. After basic training at Fort Jackson, he was assigned to Welseck, Germany as a healthcare professional. Mitchell served two international tours in Romania and Germany as a flight medic.

Petty Officer 2 Rustin Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri

Florida-born Smith enlisted in the Army from Rolla, Missouri in 2012. After attending basic training, Smith attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Smith served as an instructor pilot and was twice sent to Afghanistan. Smith also served a nine-month stint in Germany in 2020.

Sgt. David Solinas Jr., 23, of Oradell, New Jersey:

A native of New Jersey, Solinas joined the Army in 2018. He trained at both Fort Sill and Fort Sam Houston. Solinas served as a combat medic at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Mark Schwartz contributed reporting.