Army
NY National Guard brings home bodies of 2 warrant officers killed in helicopter crash in Texas
Stars and Stripes
March 19, 2024
A New York Army National Guard Honor Guard team carries the remains of Chief Warrant Officer John M. Grassia III from a New York Air National Guard LC-130 to a hearse past a line of dignitaries, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, during planeside honors conducted at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Latham, N.Y., on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Darren McGee/Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office)
The New York National Guard on Monday brought home two soldiers killed in the line of duty on March 8 in Texas.
The caskets containing the bodies of Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officers 2 Casey Frankoski and John M. Grassia III were ferried from Kelly Field, Texas, to the Army Aviation Support Facility at Albany International Airport in Latham, N.Y., on board an LC-130 Hercules assigned to the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing.
Family, friends, fellow soldiers, New York National Guard leaders, local political officials and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul were on hand.
Major Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, received approval from Army and Air Force officials to bring the remains home together on board a New York Air National Guard aircraft.
An eight-soldier detail from the New York Army National Guard Honor Guard was on board, led by Sgt. 1st Class Charles Gabriel, who leads New York’s 87-soldier honor guard force.
Frankoski and Grassia were piloting a UH-72 Lakota helicopter on a border reconnaissance mission on March 8 when the aircraft crashed near Rio Grande City, Texas. The two were assigned to Detachment 2, Company A, of the 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment. The 21-soldier detachment was mobilized in October 2023 for federal duty supporting the Border Patrol as part of Joint Task Force North.
New York Air National Guard soldiers and airmen salute as a New York Army National Guard Honor Guard team carries the remains of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski from a 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 to a waiting hearse at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Latham, N.Y., on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Stephanie Butler/U.S. Army National Guard)
A New York Army National Guard Honor Guard team finishes placing the remains of Chief Warrant Officer Casey Frankoski into a hearse during planeside honors conducted at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Latham, N.Y., on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Darren McGee/Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office)
Col. Richard Goldenberg stands at parade rest as a New York Air National Guard LC-130 carrying the remains of New York Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officers 2 Casey Frankoski and John Grassia III moves into position at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Latham, N.Y., on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Stephanie Butler/U.S. Army National Guard)
Border Patrol agent Chris Luna also was killed in the crash, and New York National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Pratt was critically injured. Pratt, who suffered multiple broken bones, is “awake and aware” as he continues receiving treatment at a Texas hospital, according to a GoFundMe post.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The hearses and buses containing the families were escorted by New York State Police and Rensselaer, N.Y., Police Department vehicles to funeral homes in the area towns of Glenville and Rensselaer.
Frankoski joined the Army National Guard in 2016 and deployed to Kuwait in November 2018 as a mission planner. She was appointed Chief Warrant Officer in 2019 and Chief Warrant Officer 2 in 2021, graduating from flight school the same year.
She trained to become a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot and was deployed to the Texas border in October 2023. Frankoski received several honors and awards during her service including the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
“We should mourn the loss of Casey Frankoski, who was brought home today,” Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said in a statement posted on Facebook. “We should also recognize that our county and country still produce outstanding young people like Casey who aspire to the highest standards of public service.
“We will never forget Casey and her service.”
After enlisting in the National Guard in 2012, Grassia completed his training in 2013 and was awarded the MOS 15T — UH-60 Helicopter Repairer. He was deployed to Kuwait in 2013, upon returning, he achieved a bachelor’s in Informatics and Cyber Security and was a cybersecurity analyst for the NYS Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019.
He was selected for Warrant Officer Candidate School in 2018 and went on to become a Chief Warrant Officer 2 and UH-60M Pilot. He became a state trooper in 2022. Grassia also received several awards and accommodations including Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Global War Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
Frankoski is the daughter of retired Rensselaer Police Department Chief James Frankoski, and Grassi was a member of the New York State Police.
“They are valued team members who are heroes” who tragically lost their lives doing their mission, said Col. Jason Lefton, the state Army aviation officer and commander of the 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade. “We’re doing everything we can to find out what happened and take care of their families and the rest of our soldiers. ... Right now, it is a time of hurt. We’re looking after each other, and we’re doing the best that we can.”
Services for Frankoski are set for Friday, followed by military funeral honors and burial at the Gerald B. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, located near the historic battlefield.
Grassia will be interred at the same cemetery following military funeral honors on March 26.
The Record in Troy, N.Y., contributed to this report.
New York Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski, left, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia were killed when a UH-72 Lakota helicopter they were flying crashed near Rio Grande City, Texas, on March 8, 2024. (New York National Guard)
