Four American Army special operations troops were assumed dead when their Black Hawk helicopter went down this week in a remote region of Washington state just outside Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the Army announced on Friday.
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk crashed around 9pm PDT on Wednesday over rough terrain close to the base, approximately 15 miles southeast of Tacoma, Washington, said Jacqui Hill, US Army Special Operations Command spokesperson at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
No survivors were recovered of the four soldiers on board the aircraft, all of whom were members of the highly trained 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 4th Battalion, based at Lewis-McChord, she said.
Known as the “Night Stalkers,” the airborne battalion specializes in operations under the cover of darkness and in developing the Army’s nighttime aviation tactics.
“They were top-notch soldiers who represented our finest ideals of the Army and the Army Special Operations, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” said Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga in a statement of the four dead soldiers.
US Army reports 4 special forces soldiers presumed dead in Washington State helicopter crash
Hill explained that attempts to access the site of the accident were hampered by the isolated terrain, burning from the accident and dense foliage, and recovery operations continued on Friday.
