{"id":65675,"date":"2018-08-21T14:06:32","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T14:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/21\/special-operations-aviator-killed-in-iraq-helicopter-crash-identified\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:39:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:39:49","slug":"special-operations-aviator-killed-in-iraq-helicopter-crash-identified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/2018\/08\/21\/special-operations-aviator-killed-in-iraq-helicopter-crash-identified\/","title":{"rendered":"Special operations aviator killed in Iraq helicopter crash identified"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Defense Department has released the identity of the soldier killed early Monday morning in an overseas helicopter crash<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Taylor Galvin died Monday in Baghdad, Iraq, as a result of injuries sustained when his helicopter crashed in Sinjar, in Iraq\u2019s Ninevah Province, according to a Pentagon statement Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galvin\u2019s helicopter crashed late Sunday night while conducting a partnered counterterrorism mission<\/a> in support of the Operation Inherent Resolve<\/a> coalition to defeat the Islamic State, according to a U.S. Central Command statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 34-year-old from Spokane, Washington, was assigned to Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment<\/a> \u2014 known as the Night Stalkers \u2014 out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident is under investigation. However, it was last reported that enemy fire was not suspected to have caused the helicopter crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galvin first entered the Army as a CH-47 aircraft mechanic in 2003. In 2007, he was accepted to Warrant Officer Candidate School<\/a>. He graduated from flight school in 2008 at Fort Rucker, Alabama, according to information provided by U.S. Army Special Operations Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galvin was then assigned to Charlie Company, 2-1 General Support Aviation Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he served as a UH-60 instructor pilot, deploying twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Special operations soldiers fast-rope from an MH-60 to an objective. (Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a successful assessment in 2015, he was assigned to the elite 160th SOAR, where Galvin flew as an MH-60M Black Hawk<\/a> pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galvin was a combat veteran with nine deployments \u2014 two in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, three in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and four in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crash that took Galvin\u2019s life is the second this year of an aircraft supporting the Inherent Resolve mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March, all personnel aboard a U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter were killed in a crash. That incident occurred after the aircraft hit power lines in western Iraq\u2019s Anbar province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to express our condolences on behalf of the Department of Defense on the death of one U.S. service member and several others injured when their aircraft crashed yesterday in Iraq,\u201d Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning told reporters Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll personnel were recovered by coalition forces immediately following the incident, and three were evacuated for further treatment. We are conducting recovery operations and are in close communication and coordination with our Iraqi partners,” Manning said. \u201cThere are no indications the crash was caused by hostile fire. The incident is under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t