A San Antonio warrant officer was killed in a helicopter crash in Logar Province, Afghanistan. CW2 Thalia S. Ramirez and another soldier from the Rio Grande Valley were piloting a OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter, a scout helicopter when they crashed. CW2 Ramirez was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division. There are indications the helicopter may have been shot down. Both soldiers were near the end of their deployments.
CW2 Ramirez was originally from Nairobi, Kenya. She was on her second deployment. She joined as a water purification specialist in 2003. In 2008, she became a pilot. She leaves behind her husband, Jesse Belbeck. See San Antonio Express News report.