Fort Campbell to honor 9 soldiers killed in helicopter crash

April 13, 2023

Hannah Woosley-Collins,

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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (WTVQ) — Two weeks after nine Fort Campbell soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash, a ceremony at the base will honor their lives.

Those killed in the crash include Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Florida; Sgt. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, of Austin, Texas; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zachary Esparaza, 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 2 Aaron Healy, 32, of Cape Coral, Florida; Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, of Mountain Brook, Alabama; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusen Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri; and Sgt. David Solinas Jr., 23, of Oradell, New Jersey.

The memorial ceremony will take place Thursday at 2 p.m. EST. The ceremony won’t be open to the public but will be live-streamed on the 101st CAB, Wings of Destiny Facebook page.

On April 5, the flight data recorders, or “black boxes,” were recovered and sent back with a safety team from Fort Rucker, Alabama as part of the investigation.

Five service members were in one helicopter and four were in the other conducting a multi-shift formation under night vision goggles when the helicopter crash occurred. All service members were based at Fort Campbell.

Army officials said no radio signal was sent out for help from the helicopters before the crash.

Fort Campbell officials say the crash happened Wednesday, March 29 around 10 p.m. in Trigg County just north of the Kentucky/Tennessee border, and about an hour outside the city of Paducah.