Sacramento soldier dies in Mediterranean helicopter crash
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Pentagon on Monday identified a 34-year-old Sacramento man as one of five Army aviation special operations forces killed in a helicopter crash in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The helicopter Shane Barnes was on, an MH-60 Blackhawk, suffered an in-flight emergency and crashed into the sea during a routine refueling mission as part of military training on Friday, KCRA3 Sacramento reported.
The U.S. Army’s Combat Readiness Center is investigating the crash, though they've indicated there is no evidence it was caused by hostile actions.
Barnes’ rank was chief warrant officer 2, the Department of Defense said. Warrant officers are technical experts in their field appointed by the Secretary of the Army. He and the other service members who died were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Barnes was a graduate of Jesuit High School, a private school in Carmichael, KCRA 3 confirmed.
Barnes was married for just over 10 years and was a father of 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters, his family said.
"He knew the possibilities of what he was doing and he still did it and that is the highest honor that anybody could ever have and carry," Specialist Reanna Walton told KCRA3.
The others killed in the crash were identified as: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee; Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire; Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona and Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota