Idaho National Guard identifies 3 Treasure Valley men killed in helicopter crash
The Idaho National Guard has identified the three men killed Tuesday when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed outside of Boise.
In a news release Thursday, the Guard identified them as Idaho residents who all lived and had families in the Treasure Valley:
- Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jesse Anderson, 43, of Boise
- Chief Warrant Officer 3 George “Geoff” Laubhan, 39, of Boise
- Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Peltzer, 43, of Nampa
Anderson, a senior instructor pilot, had served in the Idaho Guard since 2008. He is survived by his wife and four children.
Laubhan served in the Guard starting in 2010 and was listed as an instructor pilot at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife and two children.
In 2004, Laubhan wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Idaho Statesman. He wrote that his father, also in the National Guard, was 1st Sgt. George Laubhan with the 116th Cavalry Brigade and was at Fort Bliss.
In 2005, George Laubhan was quoted in an Idaho Statesman article about the National Guard’s deployment to Fort Bliss.
“People are doing their jobs that they trained for years and years,” said 1st Sgt. George Laubhan, of Caldwell, in that story. The 54-year-old was keeping his eye on the younger soldiers packing their bags.
Peltzer was a pilot who had served in the Idaho Guard since 2005. He is survived by his wife and two children.
The three men were the only ones aboard the helicopter Tuesday night, when they were conducting a routine training flight. The crew last made contact with air control at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. Just after 8 p.m., an emergency transmitter was activated and a search for the aircraft began immediately. Search crews located the downed Black Hawk at around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday and confirmed that there were no survivors.
Lt. Col. Nicole Washington, commander of the 1st Battalion, 183rd Aviation Regiment of the Idaho Guard, said during a Wednesday news conference that there were no distress calls made before the crash.
Washington added that she knew all three men personally, and said the crash leaves a “tremendous, indescribable void” within the Guard.
“The sudden and tragic loss of three of our fellow Guardsmen is extremely heartbreaking to every member of our Idaho National Guard family,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general and commander of the Idaho Guard, in a news release.
During a news conference Wednesday, Garshak and other state officials offered their condolences to the Guard members’ families. Idaho Gov. Brad Little ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor them.
Garshak said Thursday in a release that he and others in the Guard have received an outpouring of support since the crash.
“I have received numerous messages of condolence from many people here in Idaho and throughout the nation, and all of your thoughts, prayers and support are sincerely appreciated and much needed. It is very comforting, at such a challenging time, to have the care and support of so many.”
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, offered condolences Thursday after learning the names of the soldiers.
“Our prayers are with their wives and children, friends and loved ones, and fellow soldiers in the Idaho National Guard as they grieve this tragic loss,” Risch said through a press release. “Each of us owes a deep debt of gratitude to our Idaho Army National Guardsmen. Their service on behalf of Idaho and the nation is second to none, and we thank them for their countless sacrifices to keep us safe.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 10:24 AM.
