Saturday marked a somber anniversary here in the Capital Region.

It was one year ago on Saturday when two area National Guard members died in a helicopter crash in Texas.

It was March 8, 2024 when the Blackhawk helicopter in which Casey Frankoski and John Grassia III were flying and went down near the U.S.-Mexico border.

They were on a routine mission.

After lengthy investigation, it was determined an issue with the tail rotor was to blame for the crash.

A third local National Guard member, Jacob Pratt, survived the crash, but was seriously injured.

Since that horrible day, two area bridges have been named in honor of Grassia and Frankoski to keep their memories alive.