A Fairfax County man was among the 11 people killed last week when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in dense fog during a training mission in Florida.
Staff Sgt. Thomas Charles Florich III, 26, was one of four Louisiana Army National Guardsmen participating in a night-time training exercise off the coast of Florida on March 10. Seven Marines with the 2nd Special Operations Battalion were also on the UH-60M Black Hawk.
Florich, a helicopter repairman, was with the Army National Guard for eight years. He was deployed for Operation Deepwater Horizon and Hurricane Issac, according to a release on the Louisiana Army National Guard's website.
He is survived by his wife, father and stepmother. Florich's wife is expecting their first child.
