Army Captain Rebecca Lobach, 28, has been identified as one of three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter involved in Wednesday's tragic midair collision with an American Airlines flight near Reagan National Airport.
Lobach, a Durham, North Carolina native, served as an Army aviation officer since July 2019. Her decorated service included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
"She was a bright star in all our lives - kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong," her family said in a statement released through the Army.
The accomplished officer had an extensive military background, enlisting in the North Carolina Army National Guard while attending college. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019 with a biology degree as a distinguished military graduate. During the Biden administration, Lobach served as a White House social aide.
The other two soldiers aboard were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, who served as the helicopter's crew chief.
Two bodies - a male and female - were recovered Friday from the helicopter wreckage, according to law enforcement sources.
The Black Hawk was conducting a routine training mission after departing from Fort Belvoir in Virginia when the collision occurred, resulting in 67 fatalities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted it was "a routine annual retraining of night flights on a standard corridor."
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the collision.