Earlier this month, a UH-72 Lakota helicopter crashed to the ground during operations near Rio Rancho, Texas, along the southern border. Two members of the National Guard and an officer with the Border Patrol perished in the wreck, with one National Guard soldier surviving with critical injuries.
In a message on X/Twitter, National Guard General Daniel Hokanson said, “Kelly & I, & the National Guard family, send our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, friends & colleagues of the two Army National Guard Soldiers and the U.S. Border Patrol officer killed in today’s helicopter crash in Texas. We mourn these heartbreaking deaths. They are a tragic loss beyond words. We pray for the speedy recovery of a third Guard Soldier who was seriously injured. All of these people represent selfless service & the best of America.”
Assigned as a part of Operation Lone Star, the crew was called up to serve as part of Texas Governor Greg Abbot’s mission to help secure the southern border. Given the recent downing of a Mexican Army helicopter on the Mexican side of the border less than a month ago, many wonder if this could be from actions taken by drug cartels across the border.
Unconfirmed reports from the ground indicate the presence of machine gun fire in the area, and multiple spent shell casings have been found on both sides of the border in recent days. Dark web video from a cartel drone shows the helicopter spinning out before it crashed and also featured the members laughing at their plummet. Threats to take down helicopters and drones in the area have been persistent on social media, as well as communicated by illegals after crossing the border.
Americans along the southern border have been preparing for an invasion for years, but few expected it to go like this. Especially as Biden keeps encouraging them to show up.
