President Trump attended a “dignified transfer ceremony” Thursday evening at Dover Air Force Base for two Army helicopter pilots killed in a crash in Afghanistan this week.
The president, first lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries stood while a chaplain prayed as the two flag-draped transfer cases were taken from a plane ramp to nearby vans. Mr. Trump saluted as six members of an Army carry team, wearing fatigues, white gloves and black berets, carried the cases of the fallen.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Knadle, 33, of Tarrant, Texas, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk Fuchigami Jr., 25, of Keaanu, Hawaii, were killed after their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan’s Logar province. They were providing security for troops on the ground at the time of the crash.
The soldiers both were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division based out of Fort Hood, Texas. The Pentagon said the incident is being investigated.
The president flew from Washington to Delaware with the first lady, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and actor Jon Voight, who had received the Medal of Arts from the president at a White House ceremony earlier in the day.
Mr. Trump’s last visit to Dover was in January, when he attended a transfer ceremony for four Americans killed in a bombing in Syria.
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• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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