Army confirms four JBLM soldiers likely dead, efforts underway to recover bodies
Sep 19, 2025, 3:01 PM
Thurston County Sheriff's Office units arrive at a helicopter crash site near Olympia. (Photo courtesy of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office)
(Photo courtesy of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office)
The Army has now confirmed that four soldiers, based at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), likely died when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed around 9 p.m. Wednesday.
It went down in the heavily wooded hills above Summit Lake, about 40 miles southwest of JBLM, and about 20 miles west of Olympia.
Jacqueline Hill, with the U-S Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office, said the cause of what the military is referring to as an aviation mishap has not been determined.
Local law enforcement, firefighters, and specialty personnel from JBLM are involved in the effort to recover their remains.
“They are working to bring our soldiers home,” Hill said.
The soldiers were assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
“The 160th SOAR is also known as the Night Stalkers, and they are one of the Army’s most elite aviation units,” Hill said. “They train to perform some of the most challenging missions in defense of our nation.”
She said they support U.S. missions around the world.
“They were elite warriors who embodied the highest values of the Army and the Army Special Operations,” Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, USASOC Commander, said. “Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
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