A Durham native and UNC-Chapel Hill graduate was the last soldier to be identified among the three killed after their helicopter collided with a passenger jet Wednesday near Washington, D.C. Another 64 people aboard the airliner died.
The Army identified the other two soldiers Friday, but initially withheld the name of 28-year-old Captain Rebecca Lobach at her parents’ request. Then, with their approval, the Army released her name over the weekend .
Lobach attended Sewanee, the University of the South, in Tennessee, where she played basketball. She transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill, which put her two years behind most of the other ROTC cadets.
But she didn’t stay behind long, said Jasmine Johnson, a friend and study partner of Lobach.
"She came in and hit the ground running and absolutely excelled," Johnson said. "Aviation is a coveted branch and one that a lot of people fight for, but she excelled so quickly. She joined her junior year, and she quickly rose to the top of our class, and then became a distinguished military graduate, among the top 20% in the country."
Johnson, an Apache attack helicopter pilot with the North Carolina National Guard, said putting in that kind of performance was what Lobach was about. She said Lobach loved flying.
"She loved a challenge, like most aviators," Johnson said. "She wanted to be a part of that culture, to be in combat arms and serve her country, to be in the fight and also be a good leader, and she was absolutely over the moon about what she did."
Johnson said she felt proud to know Lobach.
"She had a way of making people feel heard and valued, which transcended through our friendship and into the embodiment of an army leader," Johnson said. "She was driven, motivated, and she knew how to motivate others."
"She came into the program and all of a sudden, she's outperforming everyone," Johnson said. "And so she was definitely a friendly motivation and just a delight to be around."
Lobach served as an Army aviation officer since 2019 and also was a military social aide at the White House during the Biden Administration.
In a written statement, her family said Lobach’s White House work included helping at events such as the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremonies.
She also volunteered to become a certified victim advocate for the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program (SHARP). Her parents wrote that doing that work had shaped Lobach's plans for the future, and that she hoped to become a doctor after her service in the Army.
"She once said, 'My experiences with SHARP have reinforced my resolve to serve others with compassion, understanding, and the resources necessary for healing,'" her family wrote.
"Rebecca was many things. She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate," they wrote. "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. Our hearts break for the other families who have lost loved ones in this national tragedy and we mourn with them."
All told, 67 people were killed in the accident, including Lobach's fellow Black Hawk pilot Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland and crew member Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump have said the helicopter might have been flying too high, putting it in the path of the airliner, which was about to land at Reagan National Airport.
