Friends say Army captain killed in midair collision was a ‘brilliant and fearless’ patriot

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A U.S. Army captain who died in Wednesday’s midair collision of a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet was “brilliant and fearless” and “meticulous in everything she did,” friends and fellow soldiers said.
Rebecca M. Lobach was identified by the Army Saturday as one of three soldiers killed in the crash near Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C.
USA Today White House correspondent Davis Winkie trained with Lobach in the University of North Carolina ROTC program.
“Rebecca was brilliant and fearless, a talented pilot and a PT stud,” Winkie wrote in a social media post, using an abbreviation for physical training.
“We request that you please respect our privacy as we grieve this devastating loss,” Lobach’s family added.

POSITIVE

An U. A. Friends and fellow soldiers described the Army captain who lost her life in Wednesday’s midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter as “brilliant and fearless” and “meticulous in everything she did.”.

Captain. The Army said on Saturday that Rebecca M. Lobach was one of the three soldiers who perished in the collision outside of Washington, D.C., close to Reagan National Airport. The 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet were among the 67 people who perished.

According to her family, Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, had been an Army aviation officer since July 2019 and had graduated from the University of North Carolina as a distinguished military graduate in the top 20 percent of ROTC cadets nationwide. She also received an achievement medal and an Army commendation medal.

She was with fashion designer Ralph Lauren at the White House last month when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In the University of North Carolina ROTC program, Lobach provided training for Davis Winkie, the White House correspondent for USA Today. They became friends after serving in the same training platoon at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in 2018.

Using an acronym for physical training, Winkie wrote on social media, “Rebecca was brilliant and fearless, a talented pilot and a PT stud.”.

Lobach’s family said in an Army statement that she had over 450 hours of flight time and was “certified as a pilot-in-command after extensive testing by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion.”. “.”.

At Lobach’s family’s request, the Army did not reveal her name until Saturday, but it did release the names of the other two Black Hawk soldiers on Friday. Staff Sergeant. The crew chief was Ryan Austin O’Hara, a 28-year-old from Lilburn, Georgia. Pilot Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, was the Chief Warrant Officer 2.

Sam Brown, Lobach’s close friend, told WNCN-TV that Lobach “loved her country and was a patriot.”.

According to Lexi Freas, she was motivated to join the District of Columbia National Guard as an aviation officer by Lobach’s mentoring.

“She was concerned not only with being the best officer and leader she could be, but also with being the best pilot she could be,” Freas told the station in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Lobach was meticulous in everything she did, she never did anything half-heartedly, she never did anything impulsively,” according to another friend, Sabrina Bell. “”.

According to Lobach’s family, she was a certified victim advocate for sexual harassment/assault response and prevention and aspired to become a doctor after leaving the Army.

“We are heartbroken over our dear Rebecca’s passing. She was a shining light in each of our lives. Her qualities included kindness, generosity, intelligence, humor, ambition, and strength. The statement claimed that no one had greater dreams or put in more effort to accomplish her objectives.

“We ask that you respect our privacy while we mourn this tragic loss,” Lobach’s family continued.

“From the helicopter’s point of view, you had a pilot problem,” President Donald Trump said after the crash, blaming the helicopter for operating at an excessive altitude. It was a very clear night because it was visual. “.”.

The comments only fueled rumors, disinformation, and hate on social media regarding the composition of the Black Hawk crew, especially when paired with Trump’s tirade regarding diversity initiatives in the ranks of air traffic controllers. There is currently no proof that the collision was caused by diversity rules.

In an interview with WRAL-TV, former military recruiter Bilal Kordab said Lobach was smart, kind, and “put so much pressure on herself to be the best of the best and go the extra mile.”. “.”.

At the University of The South, Lobach played Division III college basketball prior to transferring to the University of North Carolina.

Winkie claimed that he and Lobach “quickly bonded over being the new kids on the block” after both joining the ROTC program late. “.”.

While learning about various career paths for Army officers at Fort Knox, Winkie and Lobach reportedly came across a small helicopter known as an MH-6 Little Bird.

Winkie, who is 6′ 6″, claimed that Lobach, who was 5′ 7″ when she played collegiate basketball, gave him a cheeky smile and said, “Think we can both fit?”.

In a tribute to Lobach on X, the former name for Twitter, Winkie wrote, “I’ll be damned if we didn’t somehow stuff ourselves into that cockpit.”. “We were both grinning in the selfie she took, but my neck hurt and I don’t think we could have flown it very well.”. “.”.

Winkie wrote that shortly after the crash on Wednesday, he texted Lobach to ask, “You good?” He claimed that he didn’t realize the message hadn’t been sent until the following day.

The authors are LOLITA C. and Michael R. Sisak. Associated Press of Bathor.

New York was where Sisak reported.

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