San Antonio Family Mourns Death of Soldier Killed In Helicopter Crash

SAN ANTONIO, TX - Over the weekend the United States Army identified the five American soldiers who lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash.

According to the Army, the crash occurred in Egypt on Thursday during a peacekeeping mission for the Multinational Force and Observers. This group is a coalition of international forces that monitors the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement. 

The deceased soldiers were identified as:

• Capt. Seth Vernon Vandekamp, 31, from Katy, Texas
• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dallas Gearld Garza, 34, from Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marwan Sameh Ghabour, 27, from Marlborough, Massachusetts
• Staff Sgt. Kyle Robert McKee, 35, from Painesville, Ohio
• Sgt. Jeremy Cain Sherman, 23, from Watseka, Illinois

The family of Dallas Garza resides in San Antonio and is mourning the tragic loss of their son.

“My son was full of life, he had so much to offer, he was very intelligent,” said David Garza Jr., the soldier's father.

According to his family, Garza had been deployed since January of this year and was supposed to return home in March of 2021.

Garza was a father of three and was engaged to be married. According to his family, he will always be remembered for his smile, sense of humor, and name.

“I was a Dallas Cowboys fan and that was my nickname and I gave it to my son,” said his father.

Garza enlisted in the Army right out of high school and was just six years from retiring. After retiring he hoped to fly commercial planes.

“When he was a little kid he wanted to fly. When he was active duty, I was active duty,” said David.

In addition to the five American soldiers, a French and a Czech peacekeeper were also killed in the accident. One American soldier has severely injured in the crash.