We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.
Pvt. Christopher J. Castaneda, of Fripp Island, South Carolina, died Nov. 19, on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. Castaneda was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY.
Four Army aviators were killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed on Nov. 23.
Sgt. 1st Class Toby A. Childers, 40, from Hays, KS
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen B. Cooley, 40, from Cantonment, FL
Sgt.1st Class Jason M. Smith, 35, from Destrehan, LA
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael F. Tharp, 40, from Katy, TX
The helicopter crashed in the northeast portion of the Fort Hood Range. All four crew members were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment, First Army Division West. The aircraft, assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, was on a routine training.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin M. Weiss, 32, of McHenry, IL and
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alex Caraballoleon, 35, of Patillas, Puerto Rico
were killed on Nov. 23 when their AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed in South Korea. The accident happened about 50 miles east of Camp Humphreys. They were assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade’s 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment and were on a routine training mission; the helicopter crashed in a mountainous area.