The medical flight crew who died Saturday will be “honored like the heroes they are” during a memorial service on Thursday.

Christopher Heisler, president and founder of the United States Honor Flag and The Honor Network, said Tuesday the network will lead the memorial service at 11 a.m. Thursday at Sartain Hall on Troy University’s campus. In addition, the network will provide honor services for each of the three flight crew members in their hometowns.

“We want to honor them the same way we would honor a president, a law enforcement officer, a member of the military,” Heisler said. “These first responders selflessly gave of themselves.”

Pilot Chad Hammond, flight nurse Stacey Cernadas and flight medic Jason Snipes died along with patient Zach Strickland early Saturday morning, when the Haynes Life Flight chopper they were in crashed in a remote area of Coffee County. They were transporting Strickland, who had been injured in a motor vehicle accident, to a Montgomery hospital when the accident took place.

The accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. No specifics about the cause of the accident have been released, although a NTSB spokesman said Monday that weather may have contributed to the crash.

“It’s been tough,” said Kirk Barrett, chief operations officer for Haynes Ambulance, which provides the Life Flight service.

The crew members were part of the Life Flight team based at Troy Regional Medical Center. They had worked with Haynes since fall 2015, when the company expanded its Life Flight service to a Troy station.

“It’s been overwhelming support that we’ve gotten from Central Alabama and from the local community,” said Ross Terrell, chief flight nurse for Haynes. The company staffs four crews with 20 different flight personnel, including eight pilots and three mechanics.

Heisler said the U.S. Honor Flag Network is designed to pay tribute to the men and women who give their lives in the line of service to their country, from law enforcement officers to first responders.

Since 2007, Heisler has travelled across the country honoring fallen Americans by both flying the flag – one which he said flew on 9/11 – and conducting memorial services for those who passed. “This one single flag has flown over more than 1,000 funerals and memorials for fallen heroes,” he said. “It’s travelled 7 million miles … it’s been on the space station, and after Thursday the flag will continue to follow these heroes to the services in each of their hometowns.”

Heisler said he conducted 143 memorial services last year and has participated in four helicopter events within the past year.

“You never become desensitized to it,” he said.

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said the community is invited and encouraged to attend Thursday’s memorial service. “We’re certainly appreciative of these folks coming in and doing this for the folks who lost their lives, for their families and for the community,” he said. “It’s really a difficult situation for everyone involved, and this service is certainly an opportunity for the community to show their support and sympathy.”