Father of fallen Black Hawk crew chief: ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better son’
Father of Black Hawk crew chief remembers his son
We're hearing from the father of the crew chief aboard that Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night. He talks about his son, the crash, and video shot by FOX 5.
The father of a U.S. Army crew chief killed in a tragic midair collision over the Potomac River is speaking out, sharing his grief and pride in his son’s service.
Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, was among the soldiers aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet during a nighttime training mission near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday. O’Hara, a decorated veteran who had served in Afghanistan, leaves behind a wife and a 1-year-old son.
On Thursday morning, authorities recovered the remains of those killed in the crash. Among them was O’Hara, whose body was draped in an American flag as first responders solemnly looked on.
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His father, Gary O’Hara, said the moment, captured on video, was both touching and heartbreaking.
"It was very touching to see the other soldiers saluting as they take him out with the draped flag over it," he said. "But to sit there and think that that's my little boy, it's crushing."
Gary O’Hara recalled the moment he learned his son was on the helicopter.
"I just knew. I just knew that it was him," he said. "My heart just broke."
The confirmation came when two soldiers arrived at his door to deliver the devastating news.
O’Hara described his son as a dedicated soldier who took immense pride in his service.
"He loved being in the military. He was so proud of being in the Army," he said.
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Now, he faces the painful task of explaining his son’s sacrifice to Ryan’s young child.
"He was a wonderful person," he said. "Made me a better person for having to raise him. I couldn't have asked for a better son."
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Army.