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DoD identifies Black Hawk crash victims

The Army identified on Thursday the 14 Task Force Lightning soldiers killed in northern Iraq Wednesday in the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

The crewmembers, who were assigned to 4th Squadron, 6th U.S. Air Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash., were identified as:

• Capt. Corry P. Tyler, 29, of Georgia

• Chief Warrant Officer Paul J. Flynn, 28, of Whitsett, N.C.

• Sgt. Matthew L. Tallman, 30, of Groveland, Calif.

• Spc. Rickey L. Bell, 21, of Caruthersville, Mo.

The infantrymen riding as passengers, all assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, were identified as:

• Capt. Derek A. Dobogai, 26, of Fond du Lac, Wis.

• Staff Sgt. Jason L. Paton, 25, of Poway, Calif.

• Sgt. Garrett I. McLead, 23, of Rockport, Texas

• Cpl. Jeremy P. Bouffard, 21, of Middlefield, Mass.

• Cpl. Phillip J. Brodnick, 25, of New Lenox, Ill.

• Cpl. Joshua S. Harmon, 20, of Mentor, Ohio

• Cpl. Nathan C. Hubbard, 21, of Clovis, Calif.

• Spc. Michael A. Hook, 25, of Altoona, Penn.

• Spc. Jessy G. Pollard, 22, of Springfield, Mo.

• Spc. Tyler R. Seideman, 20, of Lincoln, Ark.

Mechanical failure — and not hostile fire — is suspected in the crash, which took place in Multaka near the northern city of Kirkuk.

The helicopter was part of a two-aircraft formation carrying out a night operation with several different elements on the ground and in the air.

It went down moments after the 10 2-35 Infantry soldiers had finished the ground part of their operation and boarded the aircraft.

“They were conducting an extraction of soldiers. It took place and shortly after the extraction was when the mechanical malfunction occurred,” said Lt. Col. Mike Donnelly, spokesman for Task Force Lightning.

He said the Kirkuk area is a combination of rolling hills and flat desert plains. There was an established landing zone for the operation.

“There is no doubt this is a tragic event, not only for Task Force Lightning, but also for the families and fellow soldiers in the Schofield and Fort Lewis communities,” Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Task Force Lightning and the 25th Infantry Division said in a press release. “I extend my sincere condolences to those deeply affected by the loss of these warriors.”

Task Force Lightning is headquartered in Tikrit at Contingency Operations Base Speicher and has responsibility for 23,000 soldiers in several units over a wide area north of Baghdad.

“Our condolences and prayers are with the Task Force Lightning soldiers we lost. Everybody’s feeling it. We’re comforting soldiers and families of loved ones and everyone affected” Donnelly said, adding that in spite of the tragedy “we’re going to continue our mission because we’re charged with bringing peace and security to the Iraqi people.”

The human toll in Wednesday’s crash is the deadliest for the Army this year. On Jan. 20, 12 soldiers were killed in Diyala Province north of Baghdad when their helicopter was shot down by a missile believed to have been fired from the back of a pickup truck.

Helicopters responding to that attack destroyed the pickup truck and secured the crash site minutes later.

In January 2005, a Marine Corps helicopter crashed in western Iraq, killing 31 aboard, the highest toll for the war in Iraq.

Fatal Army helicopter crashes in Iraq in 2007:

Jan. 20, Black Hawk, 12 killed (hostile fire)

Jan. 28, Apache, 2 killed (hostile fire)

Feb. 2, Apache, 2 killed (hostile fire)

May 28, Kiowa, 2 killed (hostile fire)

July 4, Kiowa, 1 killed, (power lines)

Aug. 14, Chinook, 5 killed, (mechanical)

Aug. 22, Black Hawk, 14 killed (mechanical)

Total deaths: 38

Fatal Army helicopter crashes Afghanistan in 2007:

Feb. 18, Chinook, 8 dead

May 30, Chinook, 7 dead

Total deaths: 15