An Air Force captain from Camarillo was one of 11 people, including six airmen, who were killed in a crash in Afghanistan on Friday, according to the US Department of Defense.
Capt. Jonathan Golden, 33, died when the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft he was in crashed at Jalalabad Airfield, defense officials said in a news release on Saturday. The airport is near the Afghan-Pakistani border, CNN reported.
The six airmen were supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, according to the release.
Golden was assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. Three other airmen from the base died in the crash.
They have been identified as: Capt. Jordan B. Pierson, 28, of Abilene, Texas; Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Hammond, 26, of Moundsville, West Virginia; and Senior Airman Quinn L. Johnson-Harris, 21, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the release stated.
Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain, 29, of Pensacola, Florida, and Airman 1st Class Kcey E. Ruiz, 21, of McDonough, Georgia, were also killed in the crash. Both were assigned to the 66th Security Forces Squadron at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.
The aircraft’s five passengers were among the casualties, according to CNN.
Golden’s brother, Jeff Golden, serves as a firefighter and paramedic for the Ventura County Fire Department, and fire officials said in a Facebook post that they joined him in mourning his brother and the others who lost their lives. The post ended with the hashtag “hero.”
The cause of the crash remained under investigation.