 Six dead in Army helicopter crash
Thousands involved in annual war exercise
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The crash of two Army Black Hawk helicopters on the North Shore last night underscores what everyone in a military uniform already knows: The job is perilous.
"We know it is an inherently dangerous profession for a good cause," said retired Marine Lt. Col. Kerry Gershaneck. "It’s one of the few ways we rationalize the dangers we face."
Regardless of the branch of service, active-duty personnel and their families will feel the loss of the soldiers. So will veterans. Word of the crash sent shivers through Gershaneck.
"Certainly the prayers of all of us are going out to the families of those who were killed," he said. But Gershaneck said a tragedy like this won’t deter the military from its mission to stay sharp in the event of war.
"It won’t stop training," he said. "It shouldn’t stop realistic combat training. You find out what went wrong, do what you can to correct it. You have to maintain realistic combat training."
Along Kamehameha Highway, Army liaison Bill Paty listened to the stream of emergency vehicles scream past his home.
"This kind of an exercise that they are doing, moving troops at night, is the kind of thing they have to do as a part of their regular training and unfortunately, at times, accidents happen," said Paty, who is the civilian aide to the secretary of the Army.
"It is one of the risks that our soldiers undertake when they do this type of training." The exercise along the North Shore — Lightning Thrust Warrior — involved 4,000 military personnel.
Generals with the division said before the exercise began Feb. 5 that the maneuvers would give their troops an opportunity to hone their skills.
"You can’t move the number of troops they have in the dead of night from one part of the island to the other without putting yourself in harm’s way," Paty said. "This is unfortunately one of those tragedies that happens despite the fact that they probably took every precaution they could take and planned for months."
Advertiser staff writer Mike Gordon covers military affairs and can be reached at 525-8012; e-mail, mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com
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