Black Hawk Down...

It's been a few rough days for us. Wednesday night around 10:00, we got a call from John's mom letting us know that John's sister's husband had been killed in a helicopter crash. He was stationed in Germany for the military and his family has been over there for about 6 years. This article explains what happend a little bit better than I can.....

Army investigators begin probe of Black Hawk crash in Germany

Soldiers search the site where an U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed on Wednesday night. The helicopter was on its way to Coleman Army Air Field in Mannheim when it went down in a thick patch of woods. Three soldiers were killed in the crash.

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A team of Army investigators arrived in Germany on Friday to begin its probe of a Black Hawk helicopter crash this week that killed three U.S. soldiers.

Meanwhile, U.S. Army Europe released the names of the three crewmen who perished in the Wednesday crash. They are: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary M. Farwell, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clayton M. Hickman and Spc. Matthew E. Clark.

The announcement by Maj. Daniel J. Meyers, a USAREUR spokesman, did not say who was piloting the UH-60 helicopter when it went down a few miles from Coleman Barracks in Mannheim. The three soldiers were with Company G, 52nd Regiment, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Meyers said.

"It was a routine training mission," Meyers said Thursday at the crash site. Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Army crash investigators arrived in Frankfurt early Friday afternoon, Meyers said. Based at Fort Rucker, Ala., the team is assigned to the Army Combat Readiness Center, which is charged with investigating such accidents.

Wednesday’s crash occurred after 6 p.m. in a forested area east of Coleman Barracks. While Meyers didn’t know where the helicopter was coming from, he said it was heading to Coleman. At the time of the crash, it was raining heavily and visibility below the clouds was about a mile, according to a German weather service spokesman.

Meyers would not speculate as to what may have caused the crash. It’s up to investigators to determine if pilot error, bad weather, mechanical problems, or some combination of factors contributed to the crash, he said.

U.S. and German authorities dispatched teams to the crash site to cordon it off, locate the crew’s remains and collect wreckage that could be used to determine the cause of the crash. Authorities have not left the scene since the crash, trucking in generators, food and other equipment.

Because they have been living in Germany, I only met Marc once. In October they came over fora visit and stayed for 2 weeks. Although it was only for a little visit, Marc seemed like a very nice guy who loved his family more than anything. John's parents and two of his brothers are over in Germany right now helping Tawnya (Marc' wife) and her kids get through this tough time. They seem to be doing ok and are anxious to be back in the states with family. It's just a matter of when....

As far as everyone else goes-we are doing ok and are just coping with it day by day. The military will be having some sort of a funeral for the three pilots and then they will ship Marc's body off to the states so he can be buried here. We're not sure when funeral arrangements will be made....

Marc, you were a devoted husband and father and you will definately be missed! Tawnya and kids-our prayers and thoughts are with you and we love you!