Two PH-born soldiers among 9 killed in U.S. Army copter crash

Corporal Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, was part of the 101st Airborne Division Soldiers participating in a nighttime training exercises.  FACEBOOK

Two Filipinos were among the nine soldiers killed in a crash involving two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters near Fort Campbell, at the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, from Austin, Texas, and Sgt. Isaac John Gayo, from Los Angeles were part of the 101st Airborne Division Soldiers participating in a nighttime training exercise when the crash happened on Wednesday, March 29 at around 10 p.m.

Bolanos and Gayo were both born in the Philippines. She enlisted in Austin, he in Los Angeles, both in 2019.

Both were in Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training and in Fort Eustis, Virginia for advanced individual training.

Gayo’s awards and decorations include the U.S. Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.

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.

A promising non-commissioned officer, she served nine months in Germany, graduated from Basic Leader Course in 2022 received multiple Army awards.

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