Army releases names of JBLM soldiers killed in Thurston County helicopter crash
The U.S. Army on Monday identified the four Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers who died in a helicopter crash in Thurston County on Sept. 17.
They are:
- U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, 35, from Sparta, Missouri.
- U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, 39, from Sanibel, Florida.
- U.S. Army Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25, from Tacoma.
- U.S. Army Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23, from Mount Vernon, Washington.
The four died when their MH-60 Blackhawk went down near Summit Lake during a training mission. The cause remains under investigation, the Army said Monday.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm the loss of four courageous Night Stalkers from the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), who tragically lost their lives on Sept. 17th during a training mission.,” Col. Stephen Smith, battalion commander, said in a news release. “These exceptional warriors— Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, Sgt. Donavon Scott, and Sgt. Jadalyn Good—embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that define the very spirit of the Army and Army Special Operations. Their sacrifice in service to our nation will forever be etched in our hearts and in the legacy of the Night Stalkers. These heroes were not only elite professionals but also cherished teammates, friends, and family members whose absence leaves an immeasurable void.”
Cully was commissioned in May 2013 as a U.S. Army aviation officer as a second lieutenant before being reappointed as an aviation warrant officer and serving as a UH-60M (Blackhawk) pilot. In 2024, he was assigned to C Company of the 160th SOAR (Abn) at JBLM, the Army said in a news release. His earned multiple awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
Kraus served in the U. S. Marine Corps from July 2008 until 2013. In 2017, he joined the U.S. Army and attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school before serving as an evacuation pilot in Germany, where he performed what the Army described as “real-world medical evacuation missions.” In 2023, he was assigned to C Company of the 160th SOAR (Abn), where he supported multiple training missions and deployed to contingency-response operations, the Army said. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal second award, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, among others.
Scott, 25, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a UH-60 Helicopter repairer and later join C Company of the 160th SOAR, where he served as an MH-60 crew chief and served on two support missions to Operation Inherent Resolve and a crisis response contingency operation, the Army said. His earned multiple awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal — Campaign Star.
Good, 23, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2021 as a UH-60 Helicopter repairer and later was assigned to C Company of the 160th SOAR, where she served first as a helicopter maintainer and later as a crew chief and was “instrumental in the success of numerus CONUS and OCONUS training missions and a crisis response contingency operation,” the Army said. Her awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
“As we mourn their loss, we stand united in honoring their memory and their extraordinary commitment to the mission. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Night Stalker community during this profoundly difficult time,” Smith in the news release.
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command extended “its profound thanks” to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, the Griffin Fire Department, the McLane Black Lake Fire Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Lacey Fire Department, the Olympia Fire Department, the state Department of Natural Resources, the 2/75th Ranger Regiment, the 17th Special Tactics Squadron, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), the I Corps and the JBLM for their help in responding to the crash site and retrieving the soldiers’ remains, according to the news release.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 7:45 AM with the headline "Army releases names of JBLM soldiers killed in Thurston County helicopter crash."
