Auto Accident Newsroom

U.S. Senate National Guard Caucus Co-Chairs Respond to Guard Air Accident in Georgia.

Bond and Leahy are the Republican and Democratic co-chairs, respectively, of the U.S. Senate’s National Guard Caucus. In a joint statement on behalf of the Caucus, they wrote: "The entire National Guard family grieves for what these families, their friends, their units and their communities have lost, just as we herald the commitment and the sacrifices these Guardsmen made in service to our common defense. Our sorrow is deepened by the gratitude the nation owes to their selfless service. This tragedy is the most recent reminder that the National Guard is always on call, standing ready to report for duty when duty calls."

The National Guard is present in every state and four U.S. protectorates and is comprised of citizen-soldiers and airmen and women who support U.S. active forces on a daily basis.

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent investigators to the scene and military officials will convene a board to investigate the cause of the crash. The aircraft was assigned to the Florida National Guard, and 18 of those killed were members of the Virginia Guard.