Soldier Killed In Helicopter Crash At Georgia Airfield Identified

FORT STEWART, GA — The U.S. Army has identified the soldier killed early Wednesday morning following a crash involving two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at Wright Army Airfield.

According to U.S. Army officials, Capt. James T. Bellew, 26, was found deceased at the crash site around 2 a.m. They did not say if Bellew was in one of the helicopters at the time of the crash or if there were any other injuries.

Officials said Bellew was a native of Charlottesville, VA and entered the military 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 since March 2020.

"The loss of James is an immeasurable tragedy to his family, friends, crew and fellow soldiers," Col. Eric Vanek, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade commander, said in a news release.

“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,” he continued.

Vanek said Bellew was the top platoon leader in his company and an invaluable member of the team during the brigade’s missions. Bellew’s daily duties included important missions like medically evacuating critically ill COVID-19 patients to a higher level of care across the country and being a key member of the brigade’s 24/7 mission to provide medical evacuation support for soldiers and families at Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield and tenant units.

“The support we’ve received from across the army and our coastal Georgia community has been greatly appreciated already. While this ongoing investigation continues, we are focused on ensuring our soldiers have any resources they need like chaplains and behavioral health and that we are supporting the Bellew family,” added Vanek.

U.S. Army officials said Bellew’s previous assignment was at Camp Casey, South Korea as a field aedical assistant from Sept. 2017 to Sept. 2018.

Bellew’s awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Expert Field Medical Badge and Army Aviator Badge.

Wednesday's crash is under investigation by Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), as is routine policy in any non-combat death of a soldier, authorities said.

A safety investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center is also investigating the incident.

SEE ALSO:

• 1 Soldier Killed In Helicopter Incident At Georgia Airfield