All three of the troops who were on a Black Hawk chopper when it struck an American Eagle passenger flight on Wednesday near Washington, D.C., have been identified.
Following the low-altitude accident over the Potomac River shortly before 9 p.m. that evening, the three military members and all 64 passengers on board the jet are believed to be dead.
The identities of the three soldiers aboard the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopter were made public by the U.S. Army, while it stated that it was still in the process of collecting the remains and confirming the identities of the individuals.
The UH-60 pilot on board was identified as Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, Chief Warrant Officer 2. Before joining the Army in 2017 as a pilot, Eaves was a member of the U.S. Navy, the Army said Friday.
According to the statement, he was well-decorated and received numerous decorations, including accomplishment medals and commendations from the Army and Navy.
Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach of Durham, North Carolina, was also on board. According to the Army on Saturday, Lobach served as an aviation officer in the Army from July 2019 until last month.
In a statement sent by the Army, her family stated that she was a certified pilot-in-command with over 450 hours of flight time.
According to her family, Lobach was also a platoon leader and company executive officer at Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where she served with the 12th Aviation Battalion.
According to the report, she also offered to work at the White House.
According to her family, Rebecca was privileged to be a White House Military Social Aide, helping the President and First Lady host innumerable White House events, such as the Medal of Honor and Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremonies.
According to the family, Lobach was also an Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) certified victim advocate.
According to her family, she intended to change careers after serving in the Army by going to medical school and becoming a doctor.
According to the family, she was a friend, partner, sister, and daughter. She was a caregiver, an advocate, and a servant. Above all, she was loved and cherished. Despite having a brief life, she had a profound impact on everyone she came into contact with. We join in the grief of the other families who have lost loved ones in this national catastrophe.
According to the Army, she received the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.
The Army also reported that 28-year-old Lilburn, Georgia, Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O. Hara was on board. He began his Army service in 2014 and was identified as a UH-60 helicopter technician.
His cousin called O’Hara a lifelong soldier in a social media post.
After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the military and has since devoted his life to serving his nation,” she said. “Being highly involved in ROTC throughout high school, he knew what his passion was and he was dedicated to it.”
According to the Army, O’Hara deployed to Afghanistan in 2017 and was awarded several Army commendation medals, a NATO medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a campaign star, and other honors.
His wife and 18-month-old son survive him.