The crashed US aircraft was a Special Forces Blackhawk

The Army has identified five soldiers who were killed in a helicopter crash in the Eastern Mediterranean on Friday, according to a Monday announcement from U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

The five soldiers were assigned to the “Night Stalkers” of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment on a training mission, according to the statement.

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

The soldiers are:

• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tenn.
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, Calif.
• Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, N.H.
• Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Ariz.
• Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minn.

“These teammates demonstrated the highest level of dedication to the 160th SOAR and their exemplary service in the Army is the embodiment of what it means to be a Night Stalker and a soldier,” 160th commander Col. Roger P. 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. We ask that you keep Stephen, Shane, Tanner, Andrew, Cade, their families, and fellow Night Stalkers in your thoughts and prayers.”

The Pentagon has not released any additional information on the recovery operation for the helicopter. The Navy assisted with the search with three P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), U.S. European Command told USNI News on Sunday.

(USNI News)