LOS ANGELES (CNS) - One of the nine Army soldiers killed when a pair of Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training session near Fort Campbell in Kentucky will be returned to his native Los Angeles Monday for burial, Army officials said Friday.
Sgt. Isaac John Gayo, 27, was born in the Philippines and enlisted in the U.S. Army from Los Angeles in 2019. He attended basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and then advanced individual training in Fort Eustis, Virginia, according to the Army.
His awards and decorations include the U.S. Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He had been studying to get into flight school and learned that he got it about a week before the accident late last month.
The Army suggests that members of the community line the route from LAX with flags to honor Gayo as he is returned to the city Monday.
The crash occurred March 29 during what was described as a routine training operation.
Also killed were:
-- Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Florida;
-- Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, of Austin, Texas;
-- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Missouri;
-- 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, Alabama;
-- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri; and
-- Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, New Jersey.
"This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division," Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, said in a statement last month. "The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come. Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers."
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