On Friday, 8th March, The National Guard Lakota UH-72 crashed before 4 pm local time near the US-Mexico border near Rio Grande City. National Guard Chief Warrant Officers Casey Frankoski, 28, and John Grassia, 30, as well as Border Patrol agent Chris Luna, 49, were all killed when the helicopter crashed.
Another National Guard member, whose name has not been revealed, was also severely injured. All three soldiers were part of the New York Army National Guard.
According to the National Guard Bureau, the injured soldier was an aircraft crew chief from the New York National Guard. According to a press release from the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, the soldier remains hospitalized.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated in a statement that they hope for the injured national guardsman’s “swift recovery” and that his thoughts and the department’s “deepest condolences” are with the families of those deceased.
According to the statement, Frankoski, of Rensselaer, New York, joined the New York Army National Guard in 2016 and was trained to fly the UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters.
According to the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Grassia, a New York state trooper, was from Schenectady, New York, and joined the New York Army National Guard in 2013 as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter maintenance expert.
Frankoski and Grassia were assigned to Detachment 2, Company A of the 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment. Luna was assigned to the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande City station. According to a notice from the New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs, the helicopter that crashed was part of the District of Columbia Army National Guard.
In a statement, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated she was “deeply saddened” by Grassia and Frankoski’s deaths. “There is no greater calling than service to and defense of your country,” she went on to say.
Although the cause of the crash remains under investigation.