S.A. soldier dies in chopper crash in Afghanistan

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thalia Ramirez. Ramirez was killed when her OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan Sept. 5, 2012. Ramirez was assigned to Troop F, 1-17 Air Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. less Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thalia Ramirez. Ramirez was killed when her OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan Sept. 5, 2012. Ramirez was assigned to Troop F, 1-17 Air Cavalry Regiment, ... more Photo: Photo Courtesy Pro Image Digital;Inc., Courtesy Photo: Photo Courtesy Pro Image Digital;Inc., Courtesy Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close S.A. soldier dies in chopper crash in Afghanistan 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A San Antonian was one of two U.S. Army soldiers killed in a helicopter crash last week in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced late Sunday.

Chief Warrant Officers 2 Thalia S. Ramirez, 28, of San Antonio, and Jose L. Montenegro Jr., 31, of San Juan in the Rio Grande Valley, died Wednesday while flying an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, a news release stated. The aircraft carries a two-person crew, according to a military website.

The crash occurred in Afghanistan's Logar Province. According to published reports, there are indications that the helicopter was shot down, but the Department of Defense news release states the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Ramirez and Montenegro were part of the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Both soldiers had nearly completed a year-long deployment, according to the Department of Defense.

Originally of Nairobi, Kenya, Ramirez joined the Army in 2003 as a water purification specialist, a news release states. She became a pilot in 2008 and was on her second deployment. According to the news release, Ramirez had flown more than 270 missions and 650 hours during her latest tour of duty.

Ramirez had recently escaped an insurgent attack, said Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Panza.

“In June, I was in an engagement with Thalia where our aircraft were being engaged by insurgents with (machine guns) in multiple locations,” Panza said in the news release. “Both aircraft took battle damage, but we continued the flight. We took out all the insurgents we could, then contained the enemy with our M-4 (rifles0 until we could hand over the fight. That's the kind of warrior Thalia was.”

She leaves behind her husband, Jesse Belbeck, in the United States, and her mother and father, Justin Ramirez and Alexandra Moll, in Kenya.

More Information Houston Army pilot with Valley ties killed in Afghanistan

Montenegro, known as “Monte” to friends, was originally from Houston, and his mother and sister live in Hidalgo County. He enlisted in 2001 as an infantryman and was on his third deployment, according to the news release. Montenegro served in Iraq in 2004 and Afghanistan in 2010.

“The world is a lesser place now that it lacks Monte's presence,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason England. “We have lost a true and faithful friend, and our nation has lost one of its great warriors.”

Both soldiers were remembered in a ceremony on Friday at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

emoravec@express-news.net

Twitter: @EvaRuth