The Pentagon on Monday made public the names of the four Black Hawk crew members from Schofield Barracks and three Navy sailors who lost their lives last week in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan.
Killed on Thursday were pilots Chief Warrant Officer Brian D. Hornsby, 37, of Melbourne, Fla., and Chief Warrant Officer Suresh N.A. Krause, 29, of Cathedral City, Calif. The other crew members were Sgt. Luis A. Oliver Galbreath, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Sgt. Richard A. Essex, 23, of Kelseyville, Calif.
The crew was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, at Schofield Barracks.
Two Navy SEALs and a Navy explosives expert also died in the crash. The Defense Department said Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick D. Feeks, 28, of Edgewater, Md., and Petty Officer 2nd Class David J. Warsen, 27, of Kentwood, Mich., were assigned to a West Coast-based naval special warfare unit. Relatives of Warsen previously identified him as a SEAL.
Also identified was Petty Officer 1st Class Sean P. Carson, 32, of Des Moines, Wash., assigned to an explosive ordnance disposal mobile unit in San Diego.
Three members of the Afghan security forces and a Afghan civilian interpreter also were killed. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
About 2,600 Hawaii soldiers with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade are in southern Afghanistan on a yearlong deployment that began in January.
"Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of our fallen heroes," said Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, commanding general, 25th Infantry Division. "Although the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade family has suffered a huge loss, they still continue their mission with the utmost courage and resolve."
Army Secretary John McHugh, who is in Hawaii, on Monday expressed his "personal deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of the four soldiers who were recently lost in the downed helicopter in Afghanistan."
McHugh added that "this is a time when Army families come together, when we put our arms around each other and care, and I just wanted them to know, all of us in the Army are joining in their sorrow."
Hornsby joined the Army Sept. 15, 1998, and became a helicopter pilot March 11, 2003. This was his second deployment.
He was married with two children.
Krause joined the Army Feb. 1, 2007, and became a Black Hawk pilot June 22, 2009.
This was his second deployment.
Galbreath joined the Army on Jan. 25, 2003, and became a UH-60 helicopter repairer Dec. 4, 2003.
This was his second deployment.
He was married with three children.
Essex joined the Army on July 1, 2008, and became a vehicle mechanic Nov. 23, 2008.
This was his second deployment.
In April four Schofield soldiers, among them Waipahu native Army Chief Warrant Officer Don C. Viray, 25, were killed in another Black Hawk crash in southern Afghanistan.
