Dept. of Defense releases the names of Army soldiers killed in helicopter crash

Washington, D.C.–The Department of Defense released the names of five U.S. Army Special Operations aviation soldiers killed during routine flight training as a result of a helicopter crash on Nov. 10 in the Mediterranean Sea.

The MH-60 Blackhawk was conducting aerial refueling training when the aircraft experienced an in-flight emergency resulting in the crash.

The deceased are Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38 of Clarksville, Tennessee; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California; Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire; Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona, and Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the fallen. The U.S. Army’s Combat Readiness Center is conducting an investigation into the incident,” the Department of Defense stated in a news release.

According to the Department of Defense, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy or hostile actions.