NEWPORT — The funeral for Army Capt. Jay Brainard has been scheduled for Saturday, June 16, at Crosby & Neal Funeral Home on Main Street in Newport, a family member said Tuesday.

Brainard’s aunt Nancy White, of Atkinson, said arraignments are being coordinated by Brainard’s wife, Emily, who has returned to Germany, where her husband was stationed and where she is a kindergarten classroom aide. White said Emily Brainard will return to Maine for the funeral.

Jay Brainard, 26, of Newport, was killed May 28 when the AH-64 helicopter he was piloting crashed near Kabul, Afghanistan.

White said Brainard will be buried near his grandfather, Leonard Bresnahan, a Marine who served in the Pacific theater in World War II. The ceremony will take place in nearby Plymouth.

Capt. Shannon Cotta, public affairs officer for the Maine Army National Guard, said Brainard’s remains are due to arrive June 14 at Bangor International Airport.

Visiting hours have been scheduled for June 15 at the funeral home, with the funeral and internment the following day. More details will be released later, Cotta said.

The helicopter crash is under investigation. Initial reports suggest there was no enemy activity in the area at the time. Brainard was one of two pilots killed in the crash. He was the brigade adjutant and had deployed on one previous combat tour during his three years and 11 months of service, according to a news release.

Brainard was a 2004 graduate of Foxcroft Academy and a 2008 graduate of the University of Maine.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

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