Show Horse Or Work Horse?

Last month, Capt. Lobach escorted fashion designer @RalphLauren at the White House when he received his Presidential Medal of Freedom. https://t.co/GyTGMliwaI pic.twitter.com/fDMX5W3m40

— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) February 1, 2025

Over the weekend, the Army finallly released the name of the third pilot -- apparently the one at the controls -- of the helicopter that crashed into the regional jet Wednesday evening, killing 67.

At the request of and in coordination with the family, the Army is releasing the name of the third Soldier who died while performing a training mission near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29.

Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, served as an aviation officer (15A) in the regular Army from July 2019 to January 2025. She has no deployments. She was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion, Ft Belvoir, Va.

It turns out that the three-day delay, which was atrributed to the request of the family, must have been to give them time to scrub not only her own social media, but that of the rest of the family as well. Even so, what remains -- the image at left is apparently an official Army photo -- isn't helpful. It shows her all tricked out as a helo pilot on the flight deck having just a giggly good time. The alt media was quick to see the incongruity of the giggle glam and the tragedy.

The official Army bio at the link above says that she served for her whole career in the the 12th Aviation Battalion, Ft Belvoir, whose mission is to ferry VIPs around in gold-striped helicopters, a plum assignment in itself, but other references point out that during some part of this time, she also served as a social aide in the White House. According to Wikipedia,

A White House social aide is a United States Armed Forces officer assigned to attend to the personal needs of visiting dignitaries at the White House and to facilitate interactions with the President of the United States and the First Lady of the United States. White House social aides were first appointed in 1902; as of 2014, there were 45 such officers.

. . . White House social aides report to a coordinator in the office of the White House Social Secretary. Their duties include managing "guests who attend social functions at the White House, [facilitating] interactions with the president and first lady and [escorting] dignitaries". In the past, this has included entertaining single guests, such as providing dance companions; initiating small talk with lonely guests during teas; directing the flow of traffic at receiving lines; and greeting visitors.

It isn't clear how this related to her duties as a helicopter pilot, or whether her status as a White House social aide superseded her regular tasks at Ft Belvoir. On the other hand, it does appear that the Army thought she was at least an attractive window display for the White House and VIPs who needed helicopter rides in Washington.

But this comes as the collision investigation focuses more closely on "some sort of elevation issue”, in Secretary Hegseth's words. According to the NTSB Saturday, the regional jet's flight recorder showed an altitude of 325 feet plus-minus 25 feet. This would be consistent with the jet's landing pattern at the airport, while the maximum altitude for the helicopter there should have been 200 feet. A cooment to the post on X embedded above said,

Altitude control is a basic fundamental flying skill for any pilot. Its like staying between the lines on the road. Whoever was flying failed to control altitude (and course) properly. ATC sounds like it will be a contributing factor.

— Lumpschlevot (@Lumpschlevot) February 2, 2025

Whatever the reason Cpt Lobach's family may have had to withhold release of her name, and whatever reason the Army may bave had to cooperste with this. it does nobody any favors. It simply feeds the impression that Cpt Lobach had been receiving special treatment throughout her career and in the wake of the tragedy, when the evidence that's beginning to emerge suggests that the special treatment was part of the accident's cause.

On Saturday, the NTSB said that although the flight data recorder-cockpit voice recorder on the helicopter had been recovered, it would take time to repair water damage. But in the same press conference, the NTSB spokesman said there had been dissagreement among the investigators over even releasing the jet's altitude data, suggesting that what eventually comes out will be even more damaging to Cpt Lobach's reputation.

Not to mention the incredibly bad look for the Army. At minimum, Secretary Hegseth is probably going to have to get rid of the gold-striped VIP helos and their show horse pilots.