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Remembering fallen HAAF soldiers

By Brooke Kelley - bio | email

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - Our hearts and thoughts are with the families of some of the best trained soldiers in the world.

Six soldiers from Hunter Army Airfield with the Third Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, were killed in less than a week.

Five lost their lives in Afghanistan earlier this week after their Chinook helicopter crashed while conducting a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

See Five HAAF soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

• Sgt. Josue E. Hernandez-Chavez, 23, of Las Vegas, Nevada was a flight engineer.
• Chief Warrant Officer Niall D. Lyons, 40, of Spokane, Washington was a pilot and tactical operations officer.
• Staff Sgt. Shawn H. McNabb, 24, of Terrell, Texas, was an emergency care sergeant.
• Sgt. Nickolas A. Mueller, 26, of little Chute, Wisconsin was a flight engineer.
• Chief Warrant officer Michael p. Montgomery, 36, of Redmond, Washington but lived in Savannah.

And one of their Night Stalker brothers, 29-year-old Staff Sgt. James R. Stright of Libby, Montana, was lost in a crash off the coast of Virginia last Thursday during a training exercise.

See HAAF soldier killed in helicopter crash on Navy ship.

All six were heroes whose lives were cut short.

"It's a very difficult time for all of us in our own thoughts we are trying to figure out. some are saying why am I still here, why is someone gone," said former Night Stalker Robert Perry, who shares what he can about the tight-knit group.

"We are willing to go the extra mile. We don't want the publicity, we just want to stay quiet," said Perry. "Our job is to get people where they need to be and get back without anyone knowing we did anything and that secrecy is something that binds us."

And now that bond is needed more than ever.

"In a small organization like the Night Stalkers, it's tight-knit group of people. So we feel each others' hurts. We are more a family then people who go work and then come home at the end of the day. We never leave each other, we are here to support each other on and off duty," said Perry.

A family remembering, honoring and reciting their proud motto.

"Night Stalkers don't quit, we can't afford to quit and if we do, we fail at what we do. The nation fails and we can't allow that to happen," said Perry.

Perry also wanted to mention the lady Night Stalkers, the families of these soldiers who are going through so much.

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