The female soldier who was aboard the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight this week, killing 67, also worked as White House social aide during Biden administration and had worked as an aviation officer in the Army from July 2019 to January 2025.
Captain Rebecca M. Lobach, 28, from Durham, North Carolina, was one of three soldiers on board the helicopter that collided with the jet as it was making preparations to land. Initially, the Army withheld Lobach’s identity at her family’s request. However, a statement from the Army confirmed that her name was later revealed “at the request of and in coordination with the family.”
Brave and Everyone’s Favorite
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Her family described her as “kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious, and strong.” “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives,” her family said in a statement released by the Army.
“Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle … Rebecca was many things. She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate. Most of all she loved and was loved. Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her.”
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Lobach had earned several honors, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.
She began her journey in the U.S. Army as a standout military graduate through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. According to her family, she ranked among the top 20 percent of cadets nationwide.
She rose to the rank of Captain, serving twice as a Platoon Leader and later as a Company Executive Officer in the 12th Aviation Battalion at Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
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With over 450 flight hours, she earned her pilot-in-command certification after undergoing rigorous evaluations by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion.
Extraordinary Officer
Friends and fellow Army officers who served with Lobach described her to Military.com as a highly skilled, dedicated, and patriotic soldier who inspired and uplifted those around her.
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First Lt. Samantha Brown, who attended the University of North Carolina with Lobach, recalled that from the very beginning, she radiated incredible kindness, and the two quickly formed a close friendship.
Second Lt. Lexi Freas first connected with Lobach through UNC’s alumni network and was inspired to pursue a career as a Black Hawk pilot in the D.C. Army National Guard after experiencing a flight with her.
Freas credited Lobach with profoundly impacting her career and life, saying she played a crucial role in guiding her through the application process for the D.C. National Guard.
“The aviation community, in its whole, is very small. The Army aviation community is even smaller, and the Army aviation community of women is even smaller, and those that are female aviators that also went to UNC is incredibly small,” Freas said.
On the day of the crash, they had exchanged text messages while planning an upcoming trip together. “She wasn’t average; she was so far above average. She was so intelligent, she was so dedicated, she loved her friends and her family so fiercely,” Brown said to Military.com. “She was just outstanding.”
According to CBS, just last month, she accompanied Ralph Lauren through the White House when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
USA Today reporter and Army veteran Davis Winkie acknowledged Lobach’s crucial role in helping him through some of the most challenging times in his personal life while they were both part of the Army ROTC program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I wish we’d taken a photo together when we had lunch a year ago. I wish I’d remembered to invite her to a party I hosted a week ago. I wish she weren’t dead. You are so missed, Rebecca. This world won’t be the same without you,” Winkie said on X.
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The circumstances under which the Black Hawk collided with the American Airlines jet—resulting in the deadliest aviation disaster in decades—remain unclear.
The two other soldiers on board the helicopter have been identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, from Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, from Lilburn, Georgia.
Among the victims of the airliner were several members of the international ice skating community, a mother traveling with her two young children, and a Brooklyn native.
