On March 29, 2023, nine Fort Campbell soldiers died when two HH60 BlackHawk Helicopters crashed in Trigg County, and last weekend, friends and family of the fallen attended the unveiling of a monument remembering those nine soldiers.
The memorial honors Sgt. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, Sgt. Isaac John Gayo, Sgt. David Solinas Jr., Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, Warrant Office 1 Jeffery Barnes, Warrant Officer 2 Aaron Healy, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zachary Esparza and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith.
Last year, ground was broken for the memorial, and before the monument was unveiled on Saturday, Trigg County and Fort Campbell community members spotlighted the tragedy and the aftermath.
Major Tim Morgan is a chaplain with Fort Campbell and lives five minutes away from the wreck site. Morgan says a veteran and friend of his with the Cadiz Police Department notified him of the crash and was concerned if he was involved. Morgan then went to the wreck scene and called it the greatest tragedy he had seen in his 37 years of military service.
The Trigg County Veterans Memorial Committee largely headed the effort to establish the memorial. After the crash occurred, committee member Jack Smith says residents wrapped their arms around the families of those impacted.
When the committee discussed creating a memorial with the Trigg County Fiscal Court, Smith says the magistrates unanimously approved it.
Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Currie the commander of the First Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment expressed his appreciation toward the community for showing kindness and support to Fort Campbell and those impacted by the tragedy.
Trigg County Judge Executive Stan Humphries says this memorial is only the beginning of their plans to honor the nine soldiers who died in that crash.
The memorial is at the Trigg County Veterans Memorial Park located on land donated by the Vinson Family Cemetery at the intersection of KY 272 and US 68/80.
Photo courtesy of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) on Facebook