Army Capt. Rebecca Lobach excelled at everything she did, and she would always help someone in need, even in the early hours of the morning, said her friend 2nd Lt. Lexi Freas.
“She was passionate about leadership, passionate about mentorship, and passionate about being a master of her skill craft,” Freas told Task & Purpose on Saturday. “Everything she did, she put 100% of her heart and effort into. No task was too big or too little for her to handle for her soldiers and the people that she mentored and loved.”
On Wednesday, Lobach, 28, was killed when a Black Hawk helicopter she was aboard and American Airlines Flight 5342 collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located just outside of Washington. D.C. A total of 67 people died in the incident, including all the passengers and crew aboard the airliner and two other soldiers on the helicopter: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39; and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28.
Freas was one of Lobach’s friends who spoke to Task & Purpose about the young pilot’s life and legacy. All those who shared their memories of Lobach spoke in their own personal capacity and not on behalf of their units or the military.
Freas, who is currently with the Washington, D.C., National Guard, recalled how Lobach inspired her to become a Black Hawk pilot. About two years ago, Lobach reached out to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to offer cadets the chance to fly with her. Freas, who was in the ROTC program at the time, jumped at the opportunity.
“I went up there, flew with her all around D.C., and that really sold me on aviation and wanting to become an aviation officer,” Freas said. “Her and I were chatting after the flight, and she was talking to me about branching aviation and how to do that, and I told her that I wanted to go the National Guard pipeline; I didn’t want to go active duty. And she looked at me, she pointed across the airfield, and she said, ‘Well, the D.C. Guard’s right there; that’s where you should go.’”
Lobach helped Freas determine who to contact at the Washington, D.C., National Guard, assisted her with the application, and prepared her for the interview. After Freas secured the pilot’s slot, Lobach also helped her get the full-time civilian job that she has now.
“She was not only a friend, but she was a mentor,” Freas said. “I wouldn’t be the woman I am, and I wouldn’t be the officer that I am today if it weren’t for her impact on my life.”
Lobach served as an aviation officer from January 2019 to January 2025, according to the Army. She was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion at Ft Belvoir, Virginia, and her awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Lobach enlisted in the North Carolina National Guard as a Simultaneous Membership Program cadet in December 2018 and was commissioned the following summer through her college ROTC program, said her friend 1st Lt. Samantha Brown.
Brown, who is assigned to a special operations unit, described Lobach as a “volunteer patriot.”
“I think what people need to know is she was just incredible — patriotic and wonderful,” Brown told Task & Purpose. “She was my best friend. She’s my mentor. I’m having so much trouble summing her up because it’s 28 years of life just f—king lost, and it’s a disaster.”
Lobach was a distinguished military graduate, meaning she was in the top 20% of all ROTC cadets nationwide in her class; she was a White House social aide; and she was a gold bar recruiter for Duke University in Durham, North Carolina before she attended the Basic Officer Leader Course, Brown said.
Brown also said that her friend was truly committed to her country, friends, and she constantly pushed herself to be the best she could be.
“She really wanted to be in combat arms, and she was so incredibly proud to branch into aviation,” Brown said. “And it just rips my heart out that she is gone, violently and publicly. It is a disaster. It is a colossal loss of human life. My heart goes to everyone impacted. It is absolutely terrible.”
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sabrina Bell, who is currently stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, flew with Lobach when she served with the 12th Aviation Battalion. She described Lobach as one of the most incredible people whom she had ever met.
“She only did things with a purpose, and she is an incredible human being,” Bell told Task & Purpose. “The world is at a loss without her.”
Capt. Bilal Kordab, who recruited Lobah into the North Carolina Army National Guard, remembered Lobach as a very smart, determined, and driven person.
As a ROTC cadet, Lobach was always one of the first people to be assigned tasks that required the most responsibility, said Kordab, who is currently assigned to the National Guard Bureau staff. Lobach also mentored younger high school students.
“She was always a great model for people that were looking up to her,” Kordab, told Task & Purpose. “To me, it’s absolutely heartbreaking to see someone with so much potential, so much life to live, tragically taken away. Her loss is not only just family and friends that lost her. Her loss is to everybody that ever encountered her and to the United States Army overall.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, Lobach’s family described her as “generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong,” who would “not hesitate to defend her country in battle.”
“Rebecca cared about people, and she extended to individuals the same fearless defense she gave to this nation,” the statement says.
Lobach also planned to become a physician after her Army career because she was inspired to heal people by her experiences as a certified Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Victim Advocate, the statement says.
“Rebecca was many things,” continues the statement. “She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate. 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.”
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