KEENE, NH – A New Hampshire man is among the five soldiers killed when their helicopter crashed in the Eastern Mediterranean over the weekend.

The Pentagon confirmed the deaths, which include Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, of Gorham, New Hampshire along with Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, of Clarksville, Tennessee; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, of Sacramento, California; Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, of Apache Junction, Arizona; and Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, of Mankato, Minnesota.

The military’s European Command said the UH-60 helicopter went down during an air refueling mission as part of military training. The Associated Press reports the fallen soldiers were highly decorated, with multiple combat deployments in addition to responding to deployments with no notice, sent overseas to respond quickly to various national security needs.

Grone enlisted in the Army in 2017 as a UH-60 repairer. He served as a flight instructor and MH-60M crew chief for the 160th. He deployed to Afghanistan and multiple times to Iraq, and he was awarded the Air Medal with Combat device, the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal with combat device among many other awards.

In a statement following the news of Grone’s death, Governor Chris Sununu issued a statement offering his condolences.

“Valerie and I extend our condolences to the family of Staff Sgt. Tanner Grone, who gave his life while serving his country,” Sununu said. “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Staff Sgt. Grone and his four fellow soldiers who perished. Their bravery and devotion to this nation, and the protection of our freedoms, shall never be forgotten.”

The U.S. has built up its force presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. There are two carrier strike groups operating in the region, U.S. Air Force squadrons have received additional crews and warplanes, and U.S. special operations forces have been added to help Israel in efforts to rescue hostages taken into Gaza.