The two soldiers from the Army 101st Airborne Division’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade killed Friday night when their AH-64E Apache helicopter crashed at Fort Campbell, Ky., have been identified.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ryan Connolly was an instructor pilot, who joined the U.S. Army in 2001 and arrived at Fort Campbell in 2016.
Connolly, 37, had been deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, and was a recipient of numerous awards including two Air Medals and three Army Commendation Medals.
Warrant Officer James Casadona, 28, was a pilot who joined the Army in 2012 and had just arrived at Fort Campbell earlier this year. His decorations included National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and an Army Service Ribbon.
“The Destiny Brigade has suffered a great tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the deceased,” said Col. Craig Alia, the commander of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. “This is an unfortunate event, and we are saddened by the loss of our fellow Soldiers. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the families as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.”
The cause of the Friday accident is under investigation.
The crash was the fourth military aviation crash in the past week, including two incidents on April 3 that saw two Marine Corps aircraft crash in Djibouti and California, respectively.
