The US Army has released the names of four soldiers who died when a military helicopter crashed during a training flight near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state last week, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The victims were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Cully, 35, from Sparta, Missouri; Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Kraus, 39, from Sanibel, Florida; Sergeant Donavon Scott, 25, from Tacoma, Washington; and Sergeant Jadalyn Good, 23, from Mount Vernon, Washington. According to the US Army Special Operations Command, the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down on Wednesday night during a routine training mission about 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Tacoma. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Col. Stephen Smith said in a statement that the four soldiers “embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that define the very spirit of the Army and Army Special Operations.” They were members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, a unit that specialises in night missions. The regiment’s role is to organise, train and deploy Army special operations aviation forces worldwide. According to the Army’s website, Night Stalkers “are recognised for their proficiency in nighttime operations” and are trained to carry out missions “anywhere in the world, day or night, with precision.” This was the second fatal crash involving the regiment in recent years. In 2023, five members of the unit were killed when their helicopter went down during a refuelling drill in the Eastern Mediterranean. In March this year, two soldiers from the same base were injured when their Apache helicopter crashed during training.
