BOISE, Idaho — Next week will mark five months since three Idaho guardsmen were killed in a helicopter crash during a training mission.
All three left wives and children behind, but now those families won't have to worry about paying off their mortgages.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation said it has paid off the homes of those fallen guardsmen in honor of Memorial Day.
The three pilots killed – Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jesse Anderson, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Peltzer and Chief Warrant Officer 3 George Laubhan.
The foundation presented the families with the documents during a private ceremony.
"After my husband's untimely death, I worried that I would need to sell our family home or I would have to work many hours to afford the mortgage, taking me away from our girls when they need me most." said Heidi Leben, Matthew Peltzer's wife. "Having our mortgage paid off by Tunnel To Towers has solved these concerns...It feels great to know that I can stay and raise my daughters in this home that my husband and I purchased together."
Officials say the three lost visibility in snow and fog and were flying by instruments when their Black Hawk helicopter went down on Feb. 2, 2021.
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