SSG Mario Vega-Velazquez

21 February 1991, Saudi Arabia

160th SOAR

Staff Sergeant Mario Vega-Velazquez of Ponce, Puerto Rico, died on 21 February 1991 in while supporting Operation DESERT STORM.

Vega-Velazquez enlisted in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman in 1974. After serving two tours in Germany, he reclassified as a UH-60 Helicopter Repairer in 1985. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in 1990, where he served as a crew chief.

On 21 February 1991, SSG Vega-Velazquez was a member of a UH-60 Black Hawk crew conducting an urgent medical evacuation deep in enemy territory. While transporting the injured soldier to the medical facility, his aircraft encountered a sandstorm in northwestern Saudi Arabia that caused it to crash, killing all onboard.