Two of the five crewmembers killed in a Sunday helicopter crash in Afghanistan were assigned to a National Guard unit from Nevada, officials said Monday.
The two soldiers, whose names have not been released, were assigned to Company D, 113th Aviation, Nevada Guard spokeswoman Capt. April Conway told reporters in the United States. Conway also said the unit was a combination of Guard soldiers from Nevada and Oregon. A news conference was scheduled for Monday at a Nevada Guard base in the city of Stead.
Military officials in Oregon said they believed the other three crewmembers were from their state.
“We frequently see the losses on the news, but it’s especially difficult to lose our own guardsmen, members of our own community,” Brig. Gen. Cindy Kirkland, Nevada Guard adjutant general, said according to the Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen soldiers and we will do everything we can to support them in their time of need.”
U.S. military officials in Afghanistan have said there was “no indication” that enemy fire played a role in the crash.
