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CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Two National Guard pilots from the Capital Region were killed in a helicopter crash in Texas over the weekend. Flags at State Police Headquarters Troop G are being flown at half-staff to honor those killed in the Lakota helicopter crash that happened near Rio Grande City.
“The situation was just tragic. Something went tragically wrong and our heart breaks for everybody, the families, the police departments, the state police. Just everybody,” said Amsterdam Town Supervisor, Tom DiMezza.
John Grassia, 30-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 graduated from Schalmont high school. He enlisted in the National Guard back in 2013 and was deployed to Kuwait the same year.
DiMezza says he remembers a time when John was in state police training with his son. The two would occasionally stop by after training for some dinner. “My son Anthony was a state trooper. He was his training officer. So, John and Anthony would stop by the house to get dinner and you know, because in Amsterdam, Montgomery County, there’s not many restaurants open at 9:00, 10:00 at night,” recalled DiMezza.
The Town Supervisor has close ties to Casey Frankoski, the other Capital Region pilot, as well. He is friends with her father, the former Rensselaer City Chief of Police. “I know Jim. I know he had some children. He was very proud of his daughter. I’m sure he’s very proud she was in uniform and serving our country,” said DiMezza.
28-year-old Casey Frakoski, Chief Warrant Officer 2 is a graduate from Columbia High School and enlisted with the National Guard in 2016. She was deployed to Kuwait from 2018-2019. There have been no official funeral arrangements at this time and the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
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