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"Texans Serving Texas"

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:

Texas Army National Guard releases names of deceased soldiers

AUSTIN, Texas (Dec. 29, 2016) – Texas Military Department officials have released the name of two Texas Army National Guard Soldiers who died Wednesday after their aircraft crashed into the water off the Bayport Cruise Terminal near La Porte, Texas.

Dead are:

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dustin Lee Mortenson, 32, of League City, Texas, who was an aviation material officer. He is survived by his wife Ruth Mortenson, also of League City.

Also dead is Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lucas Maurice Lowe, 33, of Hardin, Texas who was an aircraft maintenance officer. He is survived by his wife, Kami Bush, also of Hardin.

Both soldiers died of injuries sustained during the crash at approximately 3:50 p.m. and were on official status when their aircraft went down. They were assigned to the 1-149th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 36th Infantry Division.

"On behalf of the Texas Military Department, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the families of two Texas Army National Guard pilots we lost yesterday during a training mission. The loss of these Guardsmen will be deeply felt across our entire force,” said Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols. “Our top priority remains with supporting their families and all investigative efforts. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this tragic time.”

A Centralized Accident Investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, headquartered in Fort Rucker, Alabama is deployed to Galveston, Texas to take the lead on investigating the helicopter crash.

Texas Guardsmen remain on scene in support of the Department of Public Safety to assist in recovering the aircraft and securing the site.

The incident is under investigation and further information will be released as it becomes available, through the Texas Military Department State Public Affairs Office.

For the most up to date information, visit tmd.texas.gov/breaking-news.

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The mission of the Texas Military Department (TMD) is to provide the Governor and the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad.

The Texas Military Department is commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state's senior military official appointed by the governor, and is comprised of the Texas Military Department (formerly the Adjutant General's Department), the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS).

For more information about the Texas Military Department visit our Website at https://tmd.texas.gov.