TRIGG COUNTY, Ky. (WNCN/WKRN/WNCT) — A Wayne County pastor said his son was one of nine people killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters.

Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said Thursday that the crash took place Wednesday night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission.

Tim Gore, the pastor at Fremont Missionary Baptist Church said his son Caleb Gore was “a loving and wonderful child” and “everything a father could possibly wish for.”

In a tribute to his son that Gore shared with CBS 17, he described his son as “a real life captain America.”

Thursday evening, people set up a memorial outside the church so the community could honor him.

Travis Moore is the pastor at nearby Cornerstone Assembly of God and a close friend of Pastor Gore.

“When Pastor Tim heard the news he couldn’t believe it, the emotions flooded in,” Moore said. “As I’ve talked to him throughout the day, he’s just trying to process everything.”

  • Emergency responders are seen near a site where two military helicopters crashed Wednesday night during a routine training mission in Trigg County, in southwestern Kentucky, on March 30, 2023. (Brandon Smith/WSMV-TV via AP)

Gore said his son could not wait to join the army, enlisting before graduating from West Carteret High School in Morehead City. He became an airborne medic, and his passion was search and rescue.

“If you happened to be wounded on the battlefield, Caleb coming out of that helicopter would be the most beautiful thing you would ever see,” Pastor Gore wrote.

Gore was 25 years old. His father said he was going to be a registered nurse soon and was taking leadership training.

“Not only is it gonna leave a whole in the heart of his family, it’s gonna leave a whole in the defense of our nation,” Moore said.

Pastor Gore said his son left behind a beautiful memory in the hearts of everyone he touched. A memory that will live on. Gore and his wife, Haleigh, are expecting their first child.

He said he trusts God to see their family through the difficult days ahead.

“He is my Son. He is my hero and I am proud that God let him call me Dad,” Pastor Gore wrote.
The two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash happened about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Fort Campbell.