Two special forces airmen were killed during military free-fall training in Florida, the Air Force announced late Tuesday.
Tech. Sgt. Timothy Officer Jr., 32, and Tech. Sgt. Marty Bettelyoun, 35, were rushed to local hospitals after the accident at Eglin Air Force Base on Monday, NBC News reported.
Both were Special Tactics Airmen, a force made up of specially-trained air traffic controllers, pararescuemen specializing in rescue operations, and military weathermen and forecasters.
Officer was a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star, according to the Air Force Times newspaper and served 14 years in the Air Force, during which he deployed several times in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 720th Operations Support Squadron.
Bettelyoun was a married father of five. He was a combat controller who was also with the 720th Operations Support Squadron. He also had several combat deployments during his 15-year career, the Air Force Times said.