Soldiers killed in Texas military helicopter crash identified

The U.S. Army has identified two soldiers killed after an Army helicopter crash near Salado, Texas, on Wednesday. Officials said the helicopter “experienced a mishap” and crashed in a field around 1:30 p.m. The pilots were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton. Both were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood. They were aboard an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter during a maintenance test flight, according to the Army. The crash sparked a grass fire that grew to about 155 acres, threatening five homes and nine outbuildings; all but one outbuilding were saved. Fire officials said the blaze was fully contained and expected to be 100% controlled by about 5:00 p.m. Sunday, pending flare-ups. The crash remains under investigation.