A New Jersey native was one of the nine members of the armed forces who were killed in the fatal Army helicopter crash in Kentucky. Relatives, friends, and sympathizers have been paying visits to the young soldier’s home in Oradell.

“We are a faithful family, and we are proud David was training to rescue soldiers on the battlefield,” said David’s brother, Aidan Solinas.

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Who was David Solinas Jr?

David Michael Solinas was a 23-year-old soldier in the U.S. Army. He was among the nine military men who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash at Fort Campbell on Wednesday night.

Solinas’ family claimed during “Fox & Friends Weekend” that the incident was not intentional, even though the Army has not officially disclosed what triggered the deadly crash.

Ellen Solinas, Solinas’ mother, said to co-host Pete Hegseth, “It was an accident.” The helicopters were practicing using night vision goggles the night before the accident, according to David Solinas Sr, David Solinas Jr’s father.

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“He was so funny,” Ellen told Hegseth, remembering her son. “He was a good kid. I mean, not always good, but was a good kid. He was very loyal. He was scuba certified. He was so proud of it. He was so proud of that. An Eagle Scout, a soldier, a paramedic, a flight medic, but most of all, he was just my son. Our son and a brother.”

According to David’s father, David became a soldier because he believed it to be the “ultimate” way to serve his countrymen.

The commanding officer of the 101st Airborne Division supported the grieving families in a statement, adding: “The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come … Now is the time for grieving and healing.”

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The accident’s origin is being looked at by a Fort Rucker, Alabama-based Army aviation safety squad.