UPDATE: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Directs Flags To Half-Staff In Memory Of Four 106th Members Killed In Helicopter Crash

icon 15 Photos
Four members of the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing based at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton were among seven service members killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Thursday.    PRESS FILE

Four members of the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing based at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton were among seven service members killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Thursday. PRESS FILE

Eli Briggs, grandfather of Dashan Briggs, full-time member of the Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton who was killed in the crash. COURTESY TIM GANNON/RIVERHEAD NEWS-REVIEW

Eli Briggs, grandfather of Dashan Briggs, full-time member of the Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton who was killed in the crash. COURTESY TIM GANNON/RIVERHEAD NEWS-REVIEW

Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso

Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso

Staff Sgt. Dashan Briggs

Staff Sgt. Dashan Briggs

Capt. Andreas O'Keeffe

Capt. Andreas O'Keeffe

Capt. Christopher Zanetis

Capt. Christopher Zanetis

Staff Sgt. Dashan Briggs, Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso, Capt. Christopher Zanetis and Capt. Andreas O'Keeffe have been identified as the four New York Air National Guard members assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing, stationed in Westhampton Beach, who died in Iraq on Thursday.

Staff Sgt. Dashan Briggs, Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso, Capt. Christopher Zanetis and Capt. Andreas O'Keeffe have been identified as the four New York Air National Guard members assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing, stationed in Westhampton Beach, who died in Iraq on Thursday.

Captain Michael O'H

Captain Michael O'H

authorAmanda Bernocco on Mar 16, 2018
UPDATE: 12:10 p.m. Sunday Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling for all flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Monday to honor the four National Guard members from... more

You May Also Like:

John Philip Moloney of New York City and Southampton Dies November 18

John Philip Moloney of New York City and Southampton died at home in Southampton on ... 5 Dec 2025 by Staff Writer

Southampton Town Will Move To Ban Docks on Peconic Bay Shoreline

Southampton Town lawmakers threw their support behind a proposal to prohibit the construction of private ... by Michael Wright

Southampton Town Police Announce 2026 Civilian Academy

The Southampton Town Police Department will launch its 2026 Civilian Police Academy on January 15, ... by Staff Writer

Westhampton Beach Appoints New Assistant High School Principal

The Westhampton Beach School District has appointed Alyssa Tracey as the new assistant principal of ... by Staff Writer

A Surprise Every Morning: Sunrises Are Southampton Photographer's Specialty, and He Shares Them Daily on Instagram

Every day he’s in Southampton, Eric Nastri does the same exact thing. And yet, he ... 4 Dec 2025 by Cailin Riley

Southampton Turns Back to Outside Help To Stay Ahead of Building Application Deluge

Southampton Town has renewed a contract with a freelance building plans examiner to keep up ... by Michael Wright

Ground Broken for Westhampton Community Center; Long-Awaited Resource Could Open in 2026

Southampton Town officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking on the long-awaited Westhampton Community Center project next ... by Michael Wright

Southampton Police Reports for the Week of December 4

SOUTHAMPTON VILLAGE — Matthew Kopoulos, 34, of East Hampton was arrested by Village Police on December 2 and charged with petit larceny and unlawfully fleeing an officer, both misdemeanors, stemming from a September 25 incident in which police say Kopoulos stole items from the 7-Eleven on North Sea Road and then fled the scene on an e-bike. When a Village Police officer attempted to stop him he sped away and drove onto the Shinnecock Territory. A village officer recognized Kopoulos walking on the side of Tuckahoe Road this week and placed him under arrest. He was arraigned in Village Justice ... by Staff Writer

Love in Action

On behalf of the Hamptons United Methodist Church, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the generous donors and dedicated volunteers who made this year’s free community Thanksgiving dinner a remarkable success. Because of your kindness, we were able to serve nearly 500 of our neighbors — families, seniors, workers and individuals from all walks of life — by providing a holiday meal for their table. For the sixth year in a row, we are also deeply indebted to our fearless leader, Denise Smith-Meacham. To our volunteers: You peeled and chopped and cooked, packaged and delivered meals, washed ... by Staff Writer

A Day of Quiet

November 27, Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. Morning: I hear the screech owl, the great-horned owl, the Cooper’s hawk, Carolina wren, white-throated sparrow, chirps of the cardinal, red-breasted nuthatch, the cooo of the mourning dove; songs of rooster, flicker, dark-eyed junco. Titmouse, blue jay. Wind, barely a breeze, whispers haaaaaaaa in wind language, lovingly. Tranquility. Peace. I’m alive — ping of chill in the air, my skin zings. This sacred silence is why I moved here 40 years ago. But it’s completely gone now. And why? Was our designation of “green community” just a photo-op? A lie? Words co-opted like the phrase ... by Staff Writer