Officials honor Mississippi National Guardsmen killed in helicopter crash

2025-01-19 11:10:09 source: category:News

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Officials held a procession Monday for two Mississippi National Guardsmen who died Friday in a helicopter crash.

The ceremony began at a hospital in Booneville, Mississippi, near where the helicopter plummeted into a wooded area during a training flight. It continued south along Highway 45 to Pearl, where autopsies will be conducted. The two Guardsmen, Officer Bryan Andrew Zemek, 36, and Officer Derek Joshua Abbott, 42, were both Mississippi natives and had won several awards for their service.

“These two Guardsmen embodied the very best of our nation—bound by honor, and committed to service,” President Joe Biden said in a written statement over the weekend. “We will continue to keep our solemn promise to care for their families, just as they were faithful to our nation.”

The Mississippi National Guard said Zemek had been serving as a standardization instructor pilot. He is survived by his wife of three years and their four children. Abbott had been a maintenance test pilot. He is survived by his wife of 18 years and their three children.

The helicopter was an AH-64 Apache “flying a routine training flight,” the Mississippi National Guard said after the crash. Janson D. Boyles, the adjutant general of Mississippi, said the accident is under investigation and did not offer additional details.

“This accident serves as a constant reminder of the selfless service, sacrifice, and commitment that our brave service men and women face while performing in the line of duty,” Boyles said in a written statement.

More:News

Recommend

'Cowboy Carter' collaborators to be first country artists to perform at Rolling Loud

Collaborators on Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" album are continuing to make their mark in the music ind

Donald Glover, Caleb McLaughlin play 21 Savage in 'American Dream' biopic trailer

21 Savage released a trailer for a memoir movie chronicling his life from his upbringing, career and

Ex-Green Beret stands with Venezuelan coup plotter ahead of U.S. sentencing on terror charges

MIAMI (AP) — A U.S. veteran who plotted to overthrow Venezuela’s president is proudly standing with