Army Sgt. Dwight W. Burn, 27,
was killed Saturday during a training exercise when his CH-47 Chinook
helicopter crashed Orogrande, New Mexico, the Army has confirmed.
Burn, along with three other
soldiers injured in the crash, was assigned to the 82nd Combat Aviation
Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Born in Belize, Burn moved to
the Southern California city of Barstow as a child. He graduated high
school in 2005 and later attended Barstow Community College. He enlisted
in the Army in 2010, and was deployed to Afghanistan from September
2011 to September 2012 with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
Burn's ex-wife Cintia Vasquez told The Fayetteville Observer that she learned of his death from her former mother-in-law, who still lives in Barstow:
"He was in practice and crashed, and it burned. That's how he died - he burned."
Vasquez and Burn have two daughters: Violet, 7, and Vivian, 4. Vasquez explained to the El Paso Times the depth of Burn's love for his little girls:
"He was a great father. Anyone who came in, he showed them the pictures of his two daughters in his wallet. They were his pride and joy."
An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
Army Sgt. Dwight W. Burn
The crew chief aboard a Fort Bragg helicopter that crashed during a training exercise Saturday in New Mexico has died and three other soldiers were injured, Fort Bragg officials said.
Sgt. Dwight Burn, 27, of Barstow, California, died from injuries sustained in the crash, the Army said. He was the crew chief aboard the CH-47 Chinook helicopter with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
The crew of four was conducting high-altitude mountainous environment training when the helicopter crashed about 8:15 p.m. MDT in Fort Bliss' northern training area near Orogrande, New Mexico.
The three injured soldiers are in stable condition, according to a news release.
Two of the three are expected to be released within a day, the release said. The third soldier will remain hospitalized and under observation while recovering from his injuries, the news release said.
Citing privacy requests, officials said the names, injuries and locations of the survivors will not be immediately released.
"The loss of a Pegasus Trooper weighs heavy on our hearts today, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends affected by this tremendous loss. We are committed to providing support to our soldiers and families during this difficult time," said Col. Mike Musiol, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Commander, in the news release.
Cintia Vasquez, Burn's former wife, had a seven-year relationship with him before they divorced in 2010. She said she learned of her his death Sunday from his mother, who lives in Barstow, California.
"He was in practice and crashed, and it burned," Vasquez said earlier today. "That's how he died - he burned."
Teams from the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army Readiness and Safety Center are investigating the crash, the release said. The findings of the investigation are not released.
The U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center (USACRC) has a three-person team leading the probe, the release said.
On Sunday, Lt. Col. Virginia McCabe, a spokeswoman with the 82nd Airborne Division, said the helicopter went down about 45 miles away from Fort Bliss. The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade and other units from across the military routinely train at Fort Bliss because of its vast desert and mountain terrain.
The CH-47 Chinook is a heavy-lift transport helicopter that was first used in Vietnam. Its chief mission is to move troops, ammunition, large-caliber guns and equipment.
Vasquez described her ex-husband as a great man, and someone who "would always make you laugh."
"That's one thing he could make you do. His laugh. His giggle," she said.
Burn lived in his native Belize before his family moved to California when he was four years old, Vasquez said. He graduated from Barstow High School in 2005 and began taking business courses at Barstow Community College. He enlisted in the Army in May 2010 as a CH-47 helicopter repairer.
The couple have two daughters: Violet, who is 7, and Vivian, who is 4.
"One thing that was his priority was his daughters," Vasquez said. "He was supposed to come down here (to Barstow) in July."
Burn has a younger brother, Sean, who is also in the Army and is stationed in Texas.
"He always seemed to like the military," Vasquez said. "The first thing he did when he got his green card was join the military. He was always fascinated with the Army."
Burn deployed to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
On Facebook, friends, family and fellow soldiers posted their thoughts and offered their condolences. Many changed their profile pictures to a picture of Burn.
"I hope you realize how much you meant to us brother," posted Seth Dibble, a soldier who lives in Spring Lake. "You were the best in and out of the aircraft! I know you were received by the warm white light of peace. I cannot properly express here who you were. You were amazing and will be greatly missed. Here's to you SGT Burn."
Source: http://www.fayobserver.com
OROGRANDE, N.M. - A military helicopter from Fort Bragg in North Carolina crashed during a training mission near Orogrande, N.M., on Saturday night, the military has confirmed.
Killed in the crash was Sgt. Dwight Burn, according to an Army source. The other three crew members are believed to have survived.
The CH-47 Chinook crashed just after 8 p.m. after leaving on a training exercise from Fort Bliss, Texas. The CH-47 consists of a four-person crew.
Fort Bliss spokesman Lt. Colonel Lee Peters said the crew and aircraft are with the 82nd Airborne Division stationed out of Fort Bragg.
The Army often sends troops to Fort Bliss for high-altitude, mountain training, which is similar to Afghanistan.
The military has not made any official statements on the fate of the crew.
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Fort Bragg helicopter crashed Saturday night at a Fort Bliss training area in New Mexico, the Army said today.
The crash is under investigation, said Lt. Col. Lee Peters of Fort Bliss, Texas, in a news release. No information was released regarding the cause of the crash, or any casualties among the crew.
Fort Bliss is in El Paso, Texas, near southern New Mexico.
The El Paso Times in Texas reported that the helicopter had four personnel on board and no one on the ground was injured.
The Army said the helicopter is from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Bragg. It is a CH-47 Chinook and was conducting high altitude mountainous environment training when it crashed in the Orogrande, New Mexico, training area.
It went down about 8:15 p.m. MDT, or 10:15 p.m. EDT.
In the release, Peters said an investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, is going to Fort Bliss to investigate.
Lt. Col. Virginia McCabe of Fort Bragg said this evening that teams from the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army's Criminal Investigation Command are also going there to investigate.
Peters said military services and coalition nations routinely use Fort Bliss to conduct aerial and ground training due to its vast and varying training areas and environments.
Source: http://www.fayobserver.com
