Search Suspended for Black Hawk Missing Soldiers

Missing soldiers identified as Coast Guard ends search for Black Hawk crew

By Star-Advertiser staff

August 21, 2017

Coast Guard officials announced today that they are suspending the nearly week-long active search for five Army aviators who went missing Tuesday night when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the ocean about 2 miles west off of Kaena Point.

The Army also formally identified the crew members today as:

1st Lt. Kathryn M. Bailey, 26, of Hope Mills, N.C.;

 Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brian M. Woeber, 41, Decatur, Ala.

 Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stephen T. Cantrell, 32, Wichita Falls, Texas

Staff Sgt. Abigail R. Milam, 33, Jenkins, Ky.

 Sgt. Michael L. Nelson, 30, Antioch, Tenn.

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And Then There Were 15 MIssing

Search Expanded for Missing Black Hawk Crew

Big Island Now

August 20, 2017

Responders searched throughout the night Saturday and are continuing the search Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, for the five Army aviators who went missing Tuesday night approximately two miles west of Ka‘ena Point.

Search and rescue planners have also reached out to the residents of Ni’ihau Island to conduct searches along their shoreline.

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Ten sailors missing after U.S. warship, tanker collide near Singapore
REUTERS

SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ten U.S. sailors were missing after a collision between a destroyer and a tanker near Singapore on Monday, the second involving a U.S. warship and a merchant ship in Asia in about two months, triggering a fleet-wide probe of operations and training.

The guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided while the warship was heading to Singapore for a routine port call. The collision tore a hole in the warship's waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area, the U.S. Navy said.

"Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft," it said in a statement. "There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured."

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson would conduct a broad investigation into U.S. naval operations after the collision.
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New Member of Idaho National Guard, Left NFL?

Special note to reader. Thanks for pointing out wrong state. Goes to show what happens when brain and fingers are having a communication problem.

Super Bowl champion training as a Black Hawk mechanic at Fort Eustis
The Virginian-Pilot
By Brock Vergakis
Published: August 16, 2016

"I'm proud to sign my longest term deal of all time, 8 yrs and have enlisted in the Army National Guard," Daryn Colledge

U.S. Army Spc. Daryn Colledge, 168th Aviation Regiment UH-60 (Black Hawk) helicopter repair student, sits next to a retired Special Forces Black Hawk at Fort Eustis, Va., July 28, 2016. Colledge retired from the National Football League after nine seasons and a Super Bowl Championship, and enlisted in the Army National Guard in March 2016 out of Idaho.
DEREK SEIFERT/U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Tribune News Service) — Daryn Colledge's time as an NFL player and Super Bowl champion allowed him to frequently travel and meet the troops defending this country, men and women he long admired.

Now he's one of them in Hampton Roads.

Colledge, a 34-year-old former offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins, joined the Idaho National Guard in March. He's stationed at Fort Eustis while he trains to be a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic with the 168th Aviation Regiment.

Colledge declined an interview request, but appeared in an internal Army news story at Fort Eustis earlier this month.

He likely didn't need the extra paycheck. During his nine seasons in the NFL, Colledge made more than $24.5 million, according to spotrac.com, a site that tracks professional athletes' pay.
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Wyoming National Guardsmen "Charlie Med" Deploy to Afghansitan

Wyoming troops off to Afghanistan
Wyoming Tribune Eagle News
Trevor Brown
October 16, 2015

During a ceremony marking its deployment Friday, Wyoming Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Luke Reiner told the group that this is a critical and potentially life-saving mission.

Chief Warrant Officer II Bryan Herget spends some time with his children, Aiden, 8, left, and Olivia, 6, during a deployment ceremony on Friday at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne. Eighteen members of the Wyoming Army National Guard's 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment will leave Saturday morning for a month-long training mission in Texas before deploying to Afghanistan for 9 months.
Blaine McCartney/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Army National Guard's most deployed unit since 2001 is about to head overseas again. 

Eighteen soldiers with the Guard's "Charlie Med" company are gearing up for a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan.

The group is expected to leave today for a month-long training mission in Texas before heading off to the Middle East.

The Guard's C Company, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, as they are known formally, is based in Cheyenne. It operates UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and will provide medical evacuation support for U.S. and coalition troops.

During a ceremony marking its deployment Friday, Wyoming Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Luke Reiner told the group that this is a critical and potentially life-saving mission.

"You provide that safety net that our service members of all branches and our allies rely on," he said. "You provide the speed for the first golden hour, the hour that is key to determining whether a wounded man or woman lives or dies."
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2 Fort Carson Soldiers Injured After Black Hawk Helicopter Hard Landing

2 Soldiers Injured after Black Hawk Helicopter Hard Landing 
Associated Press
Sep 03, 2015

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Fort Carson says a Black Hawk helicopter landed hard in a suburban Denver forest in Douglas County, injuring two soldiers onboard.

The military says it's investigating how the accident happened about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. Forest Service land. Officials say four soldiers were in the helicopter during a routine training mission. Fort Carson spokeswoman Danny Johnson described the incident as a hard landing.

The military said in a news conference that the injuries are not life-threatening. read more here

Black Hawk "Hard Landing" on USNS Red Cloud in Japan

U.S. Military Helicopter Crashes Off Japan's Okinawa; 7 Injured
NBC News
by ARATA YAMAMOTO and CASSANDRA VINOGRAD
AUG 12 2015, 5:47 AM ET

TOKYO — A U.S. military helicopter crash landed off the Japanese island of Okinawa on Wednesday, leaving seven people injured.

The UH-60 Black Hawk performed a "hard-deck landing" on the USNS Red Cloud, the U.S. Pacific Command said. Aerial footage broadcast by NHK showed the chopper with part of its tail broken off.

Of the 17 people on board, seven were injured and transported to a U.S. naval hospital on Okinawa, according to the U.S. Pacific Command. It previously said six people were injured but then revised the figure.
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Louisiana National Guard aviators killed in Black Hawk crash called 'heroes'
NOLA.com
The Times-Picayune
By Paul Purpura
March 16, 2015

They piloted helicopters into harm's way in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, delivering infantry and special operations troops to battle and pulling out the injured. At home, they helped rescue thousands of people who were trapped in flooded neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina.

They were:

Chief Warrant Officer 4 George Wayne Griffin Jr., 37, a Delhi native who lived in Hammond

Chief Warrant Officer 4 George David Strother, 44, of Alexandria

Staff Sgt. Lance Bergeron, 40, of Thibodaux, the crew chief

Staff Sgt. Thomas Florich, 26, of Baton Rouge, the flight mechanic.

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Updates for Florida Black Hawk Crash

Salvage Crew at Fla. Site of Helicopter Crash That Killed 11
Associated Press
By TAMARA LUSH and EMERY DALESIO
Mar 14, 2015, 4:02 AM ET

A salvage barge moved off the Florida Panhandle coast to lift the wreckage of a shattered Black Hawk helicopter from the waters, days after seven Marines and four soldiers were killed when the aircraft crashed in dense fog on a nighttime training mission.

Air Force spokeswoman Sara Vidoni said the barge arrived about midday Friday to pluck the debris from about 25 feet of water. The salvage operation opened on a day a military leader in North Carolina disclosed that those aboard the aircraft had tried to abort their mission when they decided it was too risky.

Maj. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman — commander of Marine Corps special operations forces — said the Marines had been flying offshore before early Tuesday's crash to practice rappelling down ropes into the water and then making for land. He didn't know whether the Marines had been planning to reach shore by swimming or in small rubber boats, but the same drill had been practiced in daylight.

"They literally had done it hours before in daylight as part of the rehearsal for being able to do the nighttime operations, which inherently are more difficult," Osterman said at a news conference at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The teams of Marines and Army-piloted choppers made a judgment call on whether conditions were sufficient for the training mission to go ahead, he noted. Then when they were heading out to start the mission, they tried to abort after deciding it was too risky, Osterman said.
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Florida Military Helicopter Crash: Decorated Marine Among Those Killed in Training Accident
ABC News
By JUSTIN FISHEL and LUIS MARTINEZ
Mar 13, 2015, 10:01 PM ET

Among the men killed in a military training accident this week was the 2013 Marine of the Year, who just last week was awarded the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest decoration for valor.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif, 26, was one of 11 veteran Marines and soldiers conducting a training mission off the Florida coast when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed, killing all on board during a nighttime operation in foggy conditions.
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Marines Release Names Black Hawk Crash

Marines confirm victims in Florida crash 
WITN News
Mar 13, 2015

The Marine Corps has released the names of seven members of MARSOC who died in Tuesday night's Black Hawk crash in Florida.

Major General Joseph Osterman identified the Marines as

Captain Stanford Shaw of Basking Ridge, NJ,

Master Sgt. Thomas Saunders of Williamsburg, Virginia,

Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol of Warren, Michigan,

Staff Sgt. Trevor Blaylock of Lake Orion, Michigan,

Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn of Queens, New York,

Staff Sgt. Kerry Kemp of Port Washington, Wisconsin,

Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif of Holland, Michigan.

All were from the 2nd Special Operations Battalion of MARSOC.
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Black Hawk Found in Florida Panhandle

UPDATE

Five soldiers of Black Hawk crash identified
Pensacola News Journal
Kevin Robinson
March 12, 2015

• Marine Marcus Bawol, 27, of Warren, Mich.

• Marine Trevor Blaylock of Orion Township, Mich.

• Marine Kerry Kemp of Port Washington, Wis.

• Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif of Holland, Mich.

• Pilot David Strother of Pineville, La.

Military helicopter crash in Florida: No survivors expected 
CNN
By Ed Payne, Greg Botelho and Jason Hanna,
Updated 2:05 PM ET, Thu March 12, 2015

Story highlights
Heavy fog is complicating efforts; the search is expected to resume Thursday
Four Army aircrew members and seven Marines were on board the helicopter

(CNN)[Breaking news update, published at 2:05 p.m. ET] The bodies of two Louisiana National Guard soldiers who were in Tuesday night's crash of a Black Hawk helicopter in waters off the Florida Panhandle were recovered Thursday, the Guard said.

None of the 11 troops aboard -- four Louisiana Army National Guard members and seven Marines -- are believed to have survived, Air Force Col. Monte Cannon said earlier Thursday.

The bodies of the other two National Guard members are believed to be inside the downed aircraft at the bottom of the Santa Rosa Sound, said Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard.

The military is now focused on recovering more bodies and the helicopter, the bulk of which was found Wednesday at a depth of 25 feet, said Mark Giuliano, chief of the Eglin Air Force Base's fire department. read more here

Black Hawk Loss Hard on Navarre Community

Black Hawk helicopter crash rocks Florida community built on military, faith
AL.com
By Carol McPhail
March 11, 2015

In the Navarre community, where the military and faith reign supreme, residents gathered at candlelight ceremonies Wednesday night to pray and pay homage to the 11 personnel missing and presumed dead in a Black Hawk helicopter crash Tuesday.

The missing soldiers and Marines were from Louisiana and North Carolina, but that mattered little to residents of the unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County, a short drive from three military installations: Pensacola Naval Air Station, Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base.

"There are children missing their fathers, wives missing their husbands," said Rev. Jon Skipper, pastor of Navarre First Assembly of God, during a candlelight service Wednesday night. "Although we don't know them, they're part of one family."

"These men were patriots of the highest order," said Skipper.

Outside the church on U.S. 98 near the beach, a flag stood at half-staff. Inside worshippers stood at attention as a Hurlburt color guard did the honors. They prayed, raised their hands and lit candles from a row of 12 laid out on the communion table. Eleven of the candles represented the four U.S. Army National Guard soldiers and the seven Marine Corps members missing. The 12th was for "the 12th man" - who is Jesus, said Skipper.
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Operation Safety 91 tribute to military

Operation Safety 91 held their 6th tribute to first responders at the Rosen Hotel in Orlando today. This year members of the military took the spotlight. Ed and Mary Ganster did a fabulous job as always putting this together.

The emcee was Tony Mainolfi, WESH2 News Chief Meteorologist. Col. Danny McKnight, Black Hawk Down Ground Commander and Major Jeff Struecker gave really moving speeches about what happened.

Members of law enforcement, firefighters and emergency responders were also honored.

Neighborhood shocked by Black Hawks

Black Hawk Lands Safely in Residential Area
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
by Michelle E. Shaw
Feb 10, 2014

It seemed like a normal Sunday for Stacey Schrader and her family as they went to church. When they returned to their Lilburn home however, there was something not quite right about what they saw.

"There were two Black Hawk helicopters in the field across from our house," she said in a phone interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Gwinnett County police said one of the helicopters had to make an emergency landing near the 4800 block of Five Forks Trickum Road. A Georgia National Guard spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News that a cockpit warning light came on.

Police said no injuries were reported and a second helicopter arrived to assist the temporarily disabled bird.

The pilots were able the fly the helicopter back to Clay National Guard Center, officials told Channel 2.
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Black Hawk crash that killed 6 soldiers "enemy action"

Enemy fire caused Black Hawk crash that killed 6 soldiers
Army Times
Jan. 9, 2014

Maj. Gen. Paul Funk, commander of 1st Infantry Division, pauses to remember fallen soldiers Jan. 9 in a memorial ceremony. (Army)

Enemy fire caused the helicopter crash that killed six soldiers in Afghanistan in December, officials said today.

Five soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., and one based in Europe were killed Dec. 17 when their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed in Zabul in southern Afghanistan. A seventh soldier survived the crash.

The deaths make the crash one of the worst casualty incidents in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars.

“The families of the soldiers killed in the Dec. 17 helicopter crash have been notified that enemy action caused the crash and loss of life,” a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force wrote in an email to Army Times. “Although the investigation is not yet complete, we informed the families at this time out of respect so they know how their loved ones died. The investigation is ongoing and more details will be provided when the investigation is complete.”
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Soldiers revisit 'Black Hawk Down' battle 20 years later

Soldiers revisit 'Black Hawk Down' battle 20 years later
Army Times
by Michelle Tan
Staff writer
October 3, 2013

Twenty years after fighting in the Battle of Mogadishu, Keni Thomas and Jeff Struecker returned to Somalia.

“You think I want to get on a plane for 40 hours and go riding around with my hairs standing on end, with my stomach churning, in the back of an SUV in downtown Mogadishu again?” Thomas said. “Hell, no, but I went because that’s the story that needs to be told. This is a story I’ve been tasked with.”

The story of the battle, made famous by the book “Black Hawk Down” and a subsequent movie, is something Thomas believes needs to be told, even two decades later.

It took him a while to realize that, said Thomas, who is now a country music singer based in Nashville.

“What I had to learn is, the story is not the curse,” he said. “If you don’t talk about the guys and girls that you fought with, no one else is going to.
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Australia Defense Ill Prepared for PTSD Time Bomb

Defence 'ill-prepared' for PTSD time bomb
Sydney Morning Herald
February 24, 2013
Tim Barlass

Soldiers who have served in Afghanistan say the Defence Department is unprepared for the number of servicemen who will return with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ray and Pam Palmer, the parents of commando Scott Palmer, who was killed in Afghanistan, are among those who believe the impact will be much higher than Defence's estimates of about one in 10 serving staff.

Private Palmer was among the first on the scene when his colleague Private Damien Thomlinson drove over an improvised explosive device, which was to claim both his legs.

Mrs Palmer, from the Northern Territory, said she noticed a big change in her son before he returned for his third tour of Afghanistan in 2010. He later died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash.

''He developed a twitch, a sense of nervousness and was reluctant to go out in case a car backfired,'' she said.

''The government is not ready for the number of people that are going to come back with PTSD. They think it is going to be a ripple but it is going to be an enormous wave.

''The government should realise they stuffed up with Vietnam; not helping the guys when they came back. Let's not make the same mistake twice,'' she said.
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Melbourne soldier dies in Afghanistan Black Hawk crash

Melbourne soldier dies in Afghanistan Black Hawk crash
August 20, 2012
The Associated Press


HONOLULU— U.S. Army officials say four soldiers based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii were killed last week when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.

The Taliban claimed they gunned down the Black Hawk, leading to the crash on Thursday.

Army officials said Monday that among the seven Americans and four Afghans killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Brian Hornsby, 37, of Melbourne, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer Suresh Krause, 29 of Cathedral City, California; Sgt. Luis Galbreath, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Sgt. Richard Essex, 23, of Kelseyville, California.
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4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash

UPDATE August 16, 2012
Black Hawk crash kills 7 Americans, 4 Afghans

4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash
Taliban says it shot down Black Hawk
7 U.S., 4 Afghans dead
By Heidi Vogt and Kay Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 16, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven American troops and four Afghans died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, the NATO military coalition said. The Taliban claimed their fighters shot down the aircraft. At least four U.S. soldiers were confirmed among the casualties, according to Col. Thomas Collins, Army spokesman in Afghanistan.

The crash marked another deadly day for the United States in Afghanistan, less than a week after six American service members were gunned down, apparently by two members of the Afghan security forces they were training to take over the fight against the insurgency as international combat troops prepare to exit the country by the end of 2014.
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9 Year old child with cancer soars with 101st Airborne

Young cancer patient soars with help of 101st Airborne
Jul 17, 2012

FORT CAMPBELL, KY (WSMV) - A 9-year-old cancer patient took part in a special mission Tuesday with the help of the soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell.

Adam Crider, a Sumner County fourth grader, finished flight school and soared above Fort Campbell and the mountains of Colorado in a Blackhawk helicopter simulator.
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Black Hawk crew honored for 3 heroic days

Black Hawk crew honored for 3 heroic days
By John Ryan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 23, 2012
An Army dust-off crew that flew 11 rescue hoists during 60 hours of combat deep in Afghanistan’s high mountains last June was honored for its heroics at the 2012 Army Aviation Association of America’s annual forum this month.

The Goodrich Corp., an AAAA sponsor, held the reception in Nashville, Tenn., to recognize the four-soldier Black Hawk crew of Dust Off 73 — pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kenneth Brodhead, pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Erik Sabiston, flight medic Sgt. Julia Bringloe and crew chief Spc. David Capps — who spent nearly 12 hours in the air, extracting 14 wounded and one soldier killed in action and flying three critical resupply missions during a three-day operation.

Earlier this year, the crew received the AAAA/Goodrich Corp. 2011 Air and Sea Rescue of the Year award at Fort Rucker, Ala. Each soldier has been nominated for a Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest aviation award for valor.

“We didn’t expect to receive an award for our actions,” Sabiston said in an Army release. “It is a great honor, but anyone in this unit would have done the same.”

On June 25-27, 2011, DO-73 supported Operation Hammer Down, an effort to find Taliban training grounds and fighters in Watahpur district of Kunar province. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, ran missions at elevations as high as 10,000 feet and faced heavy enemy contact.
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