Wisconsin Air National Guard/VIRN photo Capt. Durwood "Hawk" Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pictured here with his family, lost his life during an F-16 crash in Michigan's Upper Peninsula Dec. 8.

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Air National Guard released the name Friday of a fighter pilot who was killed Tuesday when the F-16 he was flying crashed in the Hiawatha National Forest and commended both the Delta County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police for their assistance handling the tragedy.

Air Force Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, N.M., was identified as the pilot Friday afternoon, following a mandatory 24-hour waiting period after the notification of next of kin that is required by the Department of Defense. Jones is survived his wife and two children.

The crash took place around 8 p.m. Tuesday in northeastern Delta County, near the Schoolcraft County line. The nearest community is the unincorporated community Steuben, in Schoolcraft’s Inwood Township.

During a press conference held at the Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison, Bart Van Roo, 115th Fighter Wing Commander, said the 115th Fighter Wing’s primary concern and focus was on the family of the pilot, who had not yet been identified as Jones. He also noted the effects of the death on others in the Wisconsin National Guard.

“The Fighter Wing and the Wisconsin National Guard are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Our dedication to duty, and the training that is required of this job develops a bond that is like no other. The loss of a member like this is a very difficult thing for such a committed group of professionals. Our sadness over this loss will dissipate but the scar may never heal,” said Van Roo.

Van Roo was unable to comment on any of the specifics of the crash, such as if the pilot had ejected during the incident, but outlined a three-phase timeline for the investigation by the U.S. Air Force into the crash. In the first stage, the initial safety board gathers and preserves information about the crash, which takes about a week. In the second phase, a site investigation board seeks to determine what occurred, which takes 30 days. Finally, the accident investigation board looks to identify a cause of the incident. The board may take a year or more to announce its conclusion.

“With the need to protect the integrity of that investigation, short of what I have already mentioned, we do not have specific details to share about the crash or what my have led to it at this time,” said Van Roo.

During the press conference, Van Roo thanked a number of agencies for their assistance with processing the crash site and searching for Jones. He specifically thanked the Delta County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police as well as the Michigan National Guard and National Guard forces from Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa.

“We’re very thankful that our civilian partners, in particular the Delta County Sheriff and the Michigan State Police helped us. It is in a remote area of the Hiawatha National Forest, however, they did assist us in getting there as quickly as we thought possible,” said Van Roo.

According to Delta County Sheriff Ed Oswald, search and rescue members were at the crash site the night of the incident, and deputies attempted to evacuate a local camp, which was unoccupied. The majority of the work done by both the sheriff’s office and the Michigan State Police and the Sheriff’s Office was containing the area. Once the military had identified the size of the containment area needed, the State Police established the zone and both departments assisted in keeping civilians out of the area.

“We were support,” Oswald told the Daily Press Friday.

Deputies also assisted at the scene by increasing cell phone service to the area, which is a known dead-zone, by bringing in a booster antenna.

“The local Verizon store donated a large antenna that we could use as a booster in that area,” he said.

By Friday afternoon, Jones had been identified as the victim of the crash. According to a press release issued by the Wisconsin National Guard, Jones joined the national guard in 2001 and graduated from F-16 basic qualification training in 2015. He was a decorated combat veteran deploying as a part of a United States Pacific Command Theater Support Package to Japan in 2015 and to Korea in 2017. He deployed again in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to Afghanistan in 2019.

Capt. Jones has been awarded two Air Medal’s with combat “C” devices, which are awarded to individuals who have been personally exposed to hostile action or under significant risk of hostile action.

Before joining the military, Jones graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in mathematics in 2005.

The Forest Service put out an emergency closure order on Friday for several forest roads near the crash site. The F-16 was equipped with live ordnance during the training mission, and officials are asking the public to stay clear of the crash site with respect to the investigation.