AUSTIN, Texas — The Army has released the names of the nine soldiers who were killed in a helicopter crash near Fort Campbell, located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
According to the Army, one of the soldiers onboard was from Austin. Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, was part of the 101st Airborne Division Soldiers. Boloanos was participating in a planned training exercise when the crash happened on Wednesday.
Bolanos, who is from the Philippines, enlisted in the Army in 2019 from Austin. She was in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training and in Fort Eustis, Virginia, for advanced individual training. In March 2020, Bolanos was assigned to the UH-60 Helicopter Repairer and UH-60 Air Crewmember for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
Bolanos served nine months in Germany and graduated from Basic Leader Course in 2022.
Bolanos received many awards, including:
- Army Achievement Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Armed Forces Medal
- Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon
- Army Service Ribbon
- Overseas Service Ribbon
- Basic Aviation Badge
“This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division. The loss of these Soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come,” said Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell. “Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen Soldiers.”
The other soldiers who were killed in the helicopter crash are listed below:
- Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Florida
- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Missouri
- Sgt. Issacjohn Gayo, 27, of Los Angeles
- Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25, of Morehead City, North Carolina
- Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32, of Cape Coral, Florida
- Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, of Mountain Brook, Alabam
- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32, of Rolla Missouri
- Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23 of Oradell, New Jersey