On Monday, the Pentagon disclosed the identities of the five Army aviation special operations forces who lost their lives in the UH-60 helicopter crash in the Eastern Mediterranean. The incident occurred during an air refueling mission as part of military training, and there are no indications that the crash resulted from enemy or hostile actions, Pentagon officials said.
The deceased service members are Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer (38, Clarksville, Tennessee), Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes (34, Sacramento, California), Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone (26, Gorham, New Hampshire), Sgt. Andrew P. Southard (27, Apache Junction, Arizona), and Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe (24, Mankato, Minnesota).
The increased U.S. force presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East is a response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. In the region, two carrier strike groups are operational, U.S. Air Force squadrons have received additional crews and warplanes, and U.S. special operations forces have been deployed to assist Israel in efforts to rescue hostages in Gaza.
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