Army soldiers killed in Apache crash identified, one body recovered

(Galveston, TX) The Army has identified the men killed as 32-year-old Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dustin Lee Mortenson of League City, and 33-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lucas Maurice Lowe of Hardin.

Army officials say they’ve recovered the body of one of two soldiers killed when a Texas Army National Guard helicopter broke apart on a routine training mission and crashed into Galveston Bay about 25 miles southeast of Houston.

Maj. Gen. John Nichols says an Army investigative team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, will work to determine what happened and if Wednesday afternoon’s crash was preventable. Besides searching for the missing crewmen, recovery teams Thursday also have been using a crane on a barge to retrieve parts of wrecked Apache aircraft.

“The loss of these Guardsmen will be deeply felt across our entire force,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. John Nichols, the adjutant general of the Texas Guard, in a statement. “Our top priority remains with supporting their families and all investigative efforts.”

Both aviators died from injuries sustained when their Apache crashed. They were assigned to the 1-149th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, of the Texas Guard’s 36th Infantry Division.

One of CW3 Mortenson’s friends told WFAA, ” He was agreat father, a great AH64 pilot, one of the best Maintenance Test Pilots I know, and a great all around Amercian.”

Moretenson is survived by a wife and two children.

CW2 Lowe had served in the Army for fourteen years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, who is pregnant with twins, and two children.

“I’m so proud of him. He has made me so proud. He’s a better man than I could ever be,” said his father.

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