The U.S. Army on Friday identified the two Fort Campbell, Kentucky, soldiers killed Wednesday evening when the AH-64E Apache helicopter they were flying crashed in a rural area of Tennessee, 12 miles south of the base.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alex Caraballoleon, 35, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin M. Weiss, 32, were both decorated, long-time Apache pilots. Caraballoleon had deployed twice -- once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan, and Weiss had served a tour in Afghanistan.
Caraballoleon is survived by his wife and two children, while Weiss is survived by his wife and three children. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Army on Thursday grounded all active-duty unit aircraft for at least five days as they review safety and training procedures. The accident was the latest in a string of at least three Army helicopter training crashes in an 11-day period. On Nov. 23, two Army pilots were killed when their Apache crashed during training in South Korea. The next day, four crew members were killed near Fort Hood, Texas, when the UH-60L Black Hawk they were flying crashed. Both accidents are under investigation.
Caraballoleon and Weiss were both stationed at Fort Campbell for the majority of their time as warrant officers, officials said.
Prior to attending Warrant Officer Candidate School, Caraballoleon served as an Apache mechanic, while Weiss served as psyops specialist. His awards and decorations include the Air Medal, five Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, Army Aviator Badge, Combat Action Badge, Air Assault Badge and numerous campaign and service awards, according to Fort Campbell officials.
Weiss was awarded the Air Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Badge, Army Aviator Badge, Air Assault and Basic Parachutist Badges, Ranger tab and numerous campaign and service awards, officials said.
--Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
