An undated file photo of Lt. j.g. Wallace E. Burch, 25, of Horn Lake, Mississippi and Lt. Patrick L. Ruth, 31, of Metairie, Louisiana. The two aviators were killed Oct. 1 when their T-45C aircraft crashed in Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
Their T-45C Goshawk trainer jet crashed near Tellico Plains, Tenn., near the Cherokee National Forest in the eastern part of the state, and could not be reached until the next day due to the remote location. The two were on a training mission and were assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 7 at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.
Ruth, 31, from Metairie, La., began his Navy career in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps at Tulane University. He was commissioned in May 2008 and went through extensive flight training before joining Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 126 out of Norfolk, Va., in 2012. In April 2015 he came to VT-7 to serve as an instructor.
Ruth earned two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals during his career.
Burch, 25, of Horn Lake, Miss., attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., in 2014 and was commissioned in January 2015. He came to VT-7 as a student in 2016. – USNI News
Featured images by US Navy