One of the nine US Army service members killed in a horror crash between two US Army Blackhawk helicopters over Kentucky has been named.
And the father of Caleb Gore has tragically revealed his son's heartbroken wife was three months pregnant with their first child when tragedy struck last night.
BREAKING: Army names and pictures all nine US servicemen killed in Black Hawk helicopter fireball horror
Wayne County pastor Tim Gore wrote on Facebook: "My precious son Caleb was killed in a tragic helicopter accident last night. He was the light of my world and I have no words to express my grief right now. My words are my tears right now. Please pray for us all."
Tributes and condolences are pouring in in the comments section below the grieving dad's post.
Mr Gore said that his late son's wife was three months pregnant with the couple's first child.
Devastated, he told WRAL: “He was everything a father could want in a son.”
In a Facebook post later that night, Mr Gore shared family photos of him holding Caleb as a baby and Caleb as a young boy.
Mr Gore wrote: "My wife and I have driven down to the ocean for this evening. We needed a minute to process and grieve privately over all that has occurred today. We will be back tomorrow
"I love you all so much and I’m overwhelmed at the love and response that I’ve received from you all.
"I’m truly grateful.
"God is on the Throne and just as I’m holding my baby boy on my arms, I am absolutely convinced he now is in the arms of my King.
"I will see you again my son."
A woman named Julie Spangler Howard who claimed to be close to the family wrote on Facebook: "Please pray for the family of Caleb Gore, son of our first Pastor Tim Gore.
"He was a US Army combat medic, and was on one of the Blackhawks that crashed in Kentucky last night."
Ms Spangler Howard said of the Gore family: "We ask for special prayers for Caleb's sweet wife Haleigh who is pregnant with their first child, Tim, Caleb’s mom Joie and his younger brother Seth who is also in the Army."
Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters conducting a nighttime training exercise in Kentucky, Army officials said Thursday.
Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said the deaths happened Wednesday night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission.
A statement from Fort Campbell says the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash about 30 miles (48 kilometres) northwest of Fort Campbell. The crash is under investigation.
The helicopters crashed in a field near a residential area with no injuries on the ground, Brigadier General John Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander, said. One helicopter had five people aboard and the other had four, BG Lubas added.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday morning, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the state would do everything it can to support the families of those killed.
“We’re going to do what we always do. We’re going to wrap our arms around these families, and we’re going to be there with them, not just for the days, but the weeks and the months and the years to come," Mr Beshear said.
BG Lubas said it is unclear what caused the crash. He said a team of investigators from Fort Rucker in Alabama was headed to the crash site.
“This was a training progression, and specifically they were flying a multi-ship formation, two ships, under night vision goggles at night," BG Lubas said.
He said officials believe the accident occurred when "they were doing flying, not deliberate medical evacuation drills.”
The helicopters have something similar to the black boxes on passenger planes, which records the performance of aircraft in flight and are used by investigators to analyse crashes.
“We’re hopeful that will provide quite a bit of information of what occurred,” BG Lubas said.
The Black Hawk helicopter is a critical workhorse for the US Army, used in security, transport, medical evacuations, search and rescue and other missions. The helicopters are known to many people from the 2001 movie 'Black Hawk Down,' which is about a violent battle in Somalia eight years earlier.
Black Hawks were a frequent sight in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan during the wars conducting combat missions and are also used by the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. They were also often used to ferry visiting senior leaders to headquarters locations in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones.
Fort Campbell is located near the Tennessee border, about 60 miles (97 kilometres) northwest of Nashville, and the crash occurred in the Trigg County, Kentucky.
