Members of A Company, 5th Battalion of the 159th Aviation Regiment are participating in a joint exercise with Canadian troops at the Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta. The company is based at Gray Army Airfield at Fort Lewis.

Cerfus, 25, of Marysville, also worked as a corrections officer with Snohomish County. His name and photograph were released Wednesday.

The Herald of Snohomish County reported more about the soldier, who was a Navy veteran and had served two tours in Iraq:

“He had a big heart, cared about his friends. He was just an overall good kid,” said his father, Michael Cerfus, 49, of Marysville. “I’m just really proud of him.”

Cerfus was injured while working with a ground crew slinging an item to an airborne helicopter, said Pam Garrison, an Army Reserve spokeswoman. No one else was hurt. U.S. and Canadian officials were investigating the accident, according to the Herald.

Mike Gilbert, The News Tribune