Officials honor Mississippi National Guardsmen killed in Apache crash

Officials held a procession Monday for two Mississippi National Guardsmen who died Friday in a helicopter crash.

The ceremony began at a hospital in Booneville, Mississippi, near where the helicopter plummeted into a wooded area during a training flight. It continued south along Highway 45 to Pearl, where autopsies will be conducted. The two Guardsmen, Officer Bryan Andrew Zemek, 36, and Officer Derek Joshua Abbott, 42, were both Mississippi natives and had won several awards for their service.

“These two Guardsmen embodied the very best of our nation — bound by honor, and committed to service,” President Joe Biden said in a written statement over the weekend. “We will continue to keep our solemn promise to care for their families, just as they were faithful to our nation.”