Fort Stewart identifies soldier killed in helicopter crash
Fort Stewart has identified the soldier who was killed in a helicopter crash at Wright Army Airfield in Hinesville early Wednesday morning as Capt. James T. Bellew of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Bellew, 26, was found dead at the site of a crash involving two HH-60 helicopters at about 2 a.m. Earlier, the military had identified the helicopters as UH-60 Blackhawks.
The military said special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the crash, calling that a routine response to all noncombat deaths. A safety investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center is also investigating.
Bellew entered the Army in 2017 as a medical service officer. He became an aeromedical evacuation officer in 2019 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. His duties included medically evacuating critically ill COVID-19 patients to higher levels of care across the country.
“The loss of James is an immeasurable tragedy to his family, friends, crew and fellow Soldiers,” said Col. Eric Vanek, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade commander. “James was a part of one of the noblest professions imaginable; he dedicated his life to serving our country and did so in a role where he was constantly helping and saving the lives of others.”
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Jeremy Redmon is an award-winning journalist, essayist and educator with more than three decades of experience reporting for newspapers. He has written for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2005.
