WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army on Saturday released the name of the third soldier who died Wednesday when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet near Reagan National Airport in D.C.
Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, N.C., served as an Army aviation officer since July 2019. Her awards include an Army commendation medal and an achievement medal.
In a statement released by the Army, her family said she was a distinguished military graduate in ROTC at the University of North Carolina, and was in the top 20% of cadets nationwide. They said she had more than 450 hours of flight time, and earned “certification as a pilot-in-command after extensive testing by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion.”
The family also noted that she served as a certified sexual harassment/assault response and prevention victim advocate and hoped to become a physician when she got out of the Army.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals," the statement said, adding, “we request that you please respect our privacy as we grieve this devastating loss.”
The names of the two other soldiers were released on Friday, but Lobach's name was withheld at the time at the request of her family. The others were: Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, who was the crew chief, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, who was a pilot.
There has been no specific explanation from the Army for the one-day delay in releasing her name. But while the investigation into the crash has only just begun, President Donald Trump has publicly blamed the helicopter for flying at too high an altitude. And he issued a lengthy critique about an FAA diversity hiring initiative —particularly regarding air traffic controllers — saying they eroded flight safety.
No evidence has emerged that rules seeking to diversify the FAA played any role in the collision.