BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A U.S. Army soldier from Massachusetts has been identified as one of the service members killed Thursday in a helicopter crash in Egypt.
The U.S. Army said 27-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marwan S. Ghabour of Marlborough was one of five American soldiers who died in the crash near the island of Tiran.
Officials said a Czech and a French service member were also killed in the crash, and another American service member was seriously injured.
As Stars and Stripes reports, the American soldiers were part of a task force of roughly 450 U.S. service members, making up the largest contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers, "a peacekeeping mission made up of troops from 13 countries that has been monitoring the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace accord since 1981."
Egyptian officials said the UH-60 Black Hawk was on a reconnaissance mission when it crashed, apparently due to a technical failure.
"Ghabour was a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot assigned to Task Force Sinai’s aviation company," the Army Times reports. "The Arlington, Massachusetts native commissioned as a warrant officer in 2018. This was his first overseas assignment, arriving in Egypt in January."
Defense officials said Thursday that there is “zero indication of malicious activity” involved in the helicopter crash. The incident remains under investigation.
The other U.S. soldiers who died in the crash were identified as 31-year-old Capt. Seth V. Vandekamp of Katy, Texas; 34-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dallas G. Garza of Fayetteville, North Carolina; 35-year-old Staff Sgt. Kyle R. McKee of Painesville, Ohio; and 23-year-old Sgt. Jeremy C. Sherman of Watseka, Illinois.
"It is with profound sadness that we mourn this tragic loss of life," said Colonel David S. Sentell, commander of Task Force Sinai. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and loved ones of our fallen during this most difficult time. They should know that their nation will continue to honor their sacrifice."
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