Tacoma: The Army has released the names of four soldiers killed Wednesday when the military helicopter they were on crashed near a base in Washington state.
The victims are chief warrant officers Andrew Cully and Andrew Kraus, and sergeants Donavon Scott and Jadalyn Good, the Army said Monday in a release.
Cully, 35, was from Sparta, Missouri; Kraus, 39, was from Sanibel, Florida; Scott, 25, was from Tacoma, Washington; and Good, 23, was from Mount Vernon, Washington. The helicopter was on a routine flight training west of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, according to the US Army Special Operations Command. The base is about 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Tacoma under the jurisdiction of the US Army Joint Base Headquarters.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The skies in the area were mostly clear with light winds from the south around the time of the crash, according to the National Weather Service. The soldiers “embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that define the very spirit of the Army and Army Special Operations,” Col. Stephen Smith said.