The Department of Defense has released the names of the two US airmen who were killed when their plane crashed in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, of Yigo, Guam and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, New Hampshire both died when the Bombardier E-11A aircraft they were flying in crashed.
Voss, who had volunteered for the deployment to Afghanistan, was assigned to Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
"It's really hard to describe how sad we are at the loss of two great Airmen. Lt. Col. Paul Voss was our brother and teammate,” said Gen Mike Holmes, commander, Air Combat Command. "The men and women of our Air Force knowingly put themselves in harm's way, and I'm thankful for great Americans like them. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family members and our fellow Airmen during this difficult time."
Phaneuf was a member of the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota.
“This is a tragic loss to the Air Force and our Ellsworth Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the member’s family, friends and co-workers as we all come to terms with this tragedy,” said Col. David A. Doss, 28th Bomb Wing commander. “Every uniformed and civilian Airman assigned to Ellsworth is a valuable member of our team and this Airman will be greatly missed by all. Please respect the family’s privacy as we concentrate on caring for them and our team during this difficult time.”
Despite difficult weather conditions, the remains of the two were recovered Tuesday by SEALs assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group (commonly known as SEAL Team Six).
According to a statement from the Pentagon, the remains "were treated with dignity and respect by the local Afghan community, in accordance with their culture."
The E-11A functions as a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), essentially acting as an airborne relay station for communications traffic between ground units and other aircraft. While the cause of the crash is unknown, video footage uploaded by pro-Taliban social media accounts appears to show that the pilots made a controlled emergency landing before the aircraft burst into flames. Col. Sonny Leggett, the Pentagon spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan released a statement saying that “there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation.