Global Courant 2023-04-30 05:18:07
SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. military on Saturday identified the three soldiers who were killed when two helicopters collided in Alaska while returning from a training mission.
The helicopters were on their way to Fort Wainwright from a mission in the Donnelly Training Area when they crashed at 1:39 p.m. Thursday, about 50 miles east of Healy.
This was announced by the US military on Friday grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers were killed in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky last month.
“The move will ground all Army airmen, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete required training,” the army said in a statement.
Killed in Thursday’s crash were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Robert Eramo, 39, of Oneonta, New York; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle D. McKenna, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Petty Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, 32, of North Logan, Utah.
A fourth soldier was wounded and taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital where he was in stable condition. He was not identified on Saturday.
“The battalion is devastated and mourning the loss of three of our best,” said Lieutenant Colonel Matthew C. Carlsen, the 1-25th AB commander. Their loss cannot be compared to the suffering felt by the soldiers’ families, he said.
“The entire team has come together to focus our thoughts, prayers and actions to bring and sustain them all the comfort and support they need at this time, and I promise this will continue well into the future,” he said .
A security investigation team from the US Army Combat Readiness Center, based in Fort Novosel, Alabama, is leading the security investigation, officials said in an email.
Department of Defense instructions and Army regulations prohibit the investigators from releasing information to the public about the causes, analysis or internal recommendations, the statement said.
“The loss of these soldiers is devastating and is being felt by family, friends and military communities throughout Alaska,” said Major General Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division. “The families of Fort Wainwright and 1-25 are as strong a team as I’ve ever seen. Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and loved ones of the fallen.”
