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Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said on Sunday that the Border Patrol Agent who died in a helicopter crash Friday afternoon near La Grulla is Chris Luna.
Simultaneously, the National Guard Bureau also announced Sunday that the two soldiers who died in the crash were from New York.
They are Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski, 28, of Rensselaer, New York, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia, 30, of Schenectady, New York.
The agent and soldiers died when their UH-72 Lakota helicopter crashed near La Grulla.
Another New York Army National Guard soldier was seriously injured in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Mayorkas called the death tragic while describing Luna as a “heroic public servant.”
“Every single day, our Border Patrol Agents place themselves in harm’s way so that the rest of us can be safe and secure,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “My thoughts, and the deepest condolences of our Department, are with Agent Luna’s family, loved ones, and colleagues, and with those of the National Guardsmen who lost their lives.
“We hope for the injured servicemember’s swift recovery, and hold our National Guard colleagues and their families in our thoughts as well.”
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Helicopter crash kills Border Patrol agent, 2 National Guard soldiers on border mission
Three die in La Grulla helicopter crash involving National Guard, Border Patrol
