Minnesota National Guard identifies three soldiers killed

December 7, 2019 (ST. CLOUD, Minn.) — The Minnesota National Guard releases the names of the three soldiers killed in the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, southwest of St. Cloud.

The deceased are:

Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers Jr., age 28

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord, age 30

Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg, age 28

All three soldiers were assigned to Company C, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The unit returned from a nine-month deployment to the Middle East in May 2019, where they conducted medical evacuations in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. All three soldiers deployed on this mission.

The Minnesota National Guard requests that media and the public respect the privacy of the families of the fallen at this time.

The Minnesota National Guard will hold a press conference Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. at the Army Aviation Support Facility located at 2185 45th Avenue SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304.

Interested media should R.S.V.P.to the Minnesota National Guard public affairs office at mn.ng.web@mail.mil. Media members should fill out the BCA background check form at: https://minnesotanationalguard.ng.mil/documents/2019/12/bca-background-check-form.pdf/ and include it with the RSVP in order to ensure timely entry into the aviation facility. Media should plan to arrive at 2:00 p.m. to ensure adequate time for entry into the facility and set up.

For more information contact the Minnesota National Guard public affairs office at 651-282-4410 or mn.ng.web@mail.mil or visit https://MinnesotaNationalGuard.ng.mil.