(WZZM/AP) - One of the Navy SEALs killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan Thursday was a local man who was engaged to be married in December.
Local businessman and Kent County Commissioner Harold Voorhees posted on his Facebook page that his grand-nephew Davey Warsen was killed in Afghanistan.
The Associated Press is reporting that Warsen, 27, grew up in the Grand Rapids area, was among seven Americans who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Aug. 16. Warsen's fiancee was notified of his death in San Diego, where they lived before his deployment.
The Honolulu Star Advertiser says that Warsen was one of two Oahu troops killed in the crash. 11 total were killed in the crash. Seven were Americans.
Friends of the Warsen and the family are posting condolences on Warsen's Facebook page. According to Warsen's page, he was a graduate of East Kentwood High School and studied at Hope College and Aquinas College.
The Department of Defense has not identified the victims in the crash.
Members of the U.S. armed forces with known Michigan ties who died in 2012 supporting military operations in Afghanistan:
- David "Davey" John Warsen, 27, who grew up in the Grand Rapids area, was among seven Americans who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Aug. 16, according to Harold Voorhees, his great-uncle. Warsen's fiancee was notified of his death in San Diego, where they lived before his deployment.
- Army 1st Lt. Todd Lambka, 25, of Fraser died Aug. 1, in Paktika province from injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated. Lambka was assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan.
- Army Spc. Kyle McClain, 25, of Macomb County's Shelby Township, died Aug. 1, in Salim Aka. McClain was assigned to 1433rd Engineer Company, 507th Engineer Battalion, 177th Military Police Brigade in Kalamazoo.
- Marine Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price, 27, died July 29 while conducting combat operations in Badghis province. The military listed his hometown as Holland, and his parents live in the Zeeland area nearby. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
- Marine Sgt. Justin M. Hansen, 26, of Traverse City was killed July 24 in combat operations in Badghis province. He was part of the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
- Army Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Leach, 29, of Ferndale died June 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The cause of death wasn't immediately announced. He was part of the 1/334th Regiment, 1st Brigade, 104th Training Division based in Fraser.
- Army Staff Sgt. Robert A. Massarelli, 32, a 1998 graduate of East Kentwood High School in Kentwood, was killed June 24 in an explosion in Kandahar. His parents live in Hamilton, Ohio. He was part of the 96th Transportation Company from Fort Hood, Texas.
- Marine Pfc. Steven P. Stevens II, 23, of Detroit died June 22 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
- Army Sgt. Joseph Lilly, 25, of Flint died June 14 from injuries he sustained June 12 when he was hit by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan. He was a combat engineer serving with the 18th Engineer Company from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
- Army Spc. Vilmar Galarza Hernandez, 21, of Salinas, Calif., died May 26 in in Kandahar province when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. His wife is from Muskegon, Mich. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
- Army Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark, 43, a former resident of Spencerport, N.Y, and Addison, Mich., died May 1 in Tarin Kowt. He was a nurse assigned to A Company, Troop Command at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. His wife was in Texas chatting with him via Skype when he collapsed.
- Air Force Tech. Sgt. Matthew S. Schwartz, 34, of Traverse City was killed Jan. 5 along with two other airmen when insurgents attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Helmand province. He was part of the 90th Civil Engineer Squadron from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.