Crew chief aboard crashed Bragg helicopter dies

Sgt. Dwight W. Burn, 27, was the crew chief aboard the CH-47 Chinook helicopter that went down during high altitude mountainous environment training in Fort Bliss' northern training area near Orogrande, N.M. The crash happened about 45 miles away from the Texas base.

Three other soldiers were in the helicopter when it crashed. They were last listed in stable condition, with two expected to be released from the hospital within 24 hours, the military said.

The surviving solders' names and the extent of their injuries were not released.

Burn, who served with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, was a native of Belize City, Belize and resided in Barstow, Calif. He is survived by two daughters, 7-year-old Violetta and 4-year-old Vivian.

Burn loved to talk about his children and was always there for them, said Cintia Vasquez, his ex-wife.

“He could light up a room (with) how funny he was,” she said. “(He was a) great man and the best father my daughters could have asked for.”

Burn graduated from high school in 2005 and enlisted in the Army in 2010 as a CH-47 helicopter repairer, the military said. Burn served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade from September 2011 to September 2012.

Burn's awards and decorations include the Air Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, and the Army Aviation Badge.

The CH-47 Chinook is a heavy-lift transport helicopter that was first used in Vietnam. Its chief mission is to move troops, ammunition, large-caliber guns and equipment.

The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade and other units from across the military routinely train at Fort Bliss because of its vast desert and mountain terrain.