U.S. Army Identifies Five Special Operations Soldiers Killed In Helicopter Crash

These undated photos provided by U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs, shows the five Army aviation special operations forces killed when their helicopter crashed in the Eastern Mediterranean over the weekend. From top left to bottom right are, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, of Clarksville, Tenn., Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, of Apache Junction, Ariz., Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, of Gorham, N.H., Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, of Mankato, Minn., and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, of Sacramento, Calif. They were based in Kentucky. (U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs via AP)

OAN’s James Meyers
2:11 PM – Monday, November 13, 2023

The United States Army has revealed the five Army aviation special operators that were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Eastern Mediterranean over the weekend.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command announced the five service members who died were 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 hearts are broken for our Special Operations family. Our 160th SOAR teammates and their families are in our prayers. It’s our sacred obligation to care for them in this time of need, and always. NSDQ.” USSOCOM Gen. Bryan Fenton and CSM Shane Shorter.https://t.co/4NJxWqrQkY
— USSOCOM (@USSOCOM) November 13, 2023

The military’s European Command said the UH-60 helicopter crashed during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training.

The New York Times reported the helicopter crashed off the coast of Cyprus, which is a popular area that the Pentagon sends commando teams from the Joint Special Operations Command.

Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of the Army Special Operations Command said the fallen soldiers “hail from rare patriotic families with deep military service ties that span multiple generations and formations.”

“This is devastating news that reverberates across the entire Special Operations community,” Braga said on Monday in a statement. “Every loss is tough, but in this case, service to the Nation is truly a family business and it’s hard to express the amount of sorrow that we all feel right now.”

Additionally, the killed soldiers were highly decorated, with multiple combat deployments and sent overseas to respond quickly to various national security needs.

“These teammates demonstrated the highest level of dedication to the 160^th SOAR and their exemplary service in the Army is the embodiment of what it means to be a Night Stalker and a Soldier,” 160^th Cmdr. Col. Roger Waleski Jr. said in a statement. “Our priority now is to ensure the families of our fallen warriors receive our complete support as we work through this tragedy together.”

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