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Social media posts claiming to show U.S. Army Capt. Rebecca Lobach show a different woman who worked as a White House press assistant.
Lobach was one of three soldiers killed Jan. 29 when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet near Washington, D.C.
Lobach did not work at the White House or for former President Joe Biden’s press team. She served as a volunteer military social aide at some White House events, including a Jan. 4 Medal of Freedom ceremony.
Social media users are sharing a photo of a woman they claim is U.S. Army Capt. Rebecca Lobach, one of three soldiers killed Jan. 29 when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside Washington, D.C.
A Feb. 2 Instagram post shared a screenshot of an X post that said, "BLACK HAWK PILOT: She spent the last two years at the White House instead of flying? Why?" The post showed a photo of former President Joe Biden posing and smiling alongside a group of people; a red circle drew attention to one person, a woman with long hair.
The conservative account @amuse, which has 532,000 followers, shared the X post Feb. 2. That X post had 19 million views on the platform by Feb. 3, but has since been deleted. It had a community note attached, linking to an X post from Real Clear Politics reporter Philip Melanchthon Wegmann, who said it was not Lobach in the photo, but rather a junior press aide.
A Feb. 2 Threads post shared a wider shot of the same photo and said Lobach "worked for Karine Jean-Pierre in the Press shop at the White House during the Biden administration. She was not a full-time pilot."
The Instagram and Threads posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
(Screenshot from Instagram)
The woman circled in the Instagram photo is not Lobach. PolitiFact traced the original photo to one shared Jan. 2 on social media by Jean-Pierre, who wrote, "Here’s to the best team in the business."
Jean-Pierre credited the photo to Cameron Smith, former Biden administration White House photographer. We contacted Smith, who told PolitiFact that she took the photo and that it shows a former press aide and wrangler for the White House, not Lobach.
Lobach did play a White House role, however, occasionally serving as a voluntary military social aide, her family said in a statement the U.S. Army shared Feb. 1. Social aides help with diplomatic protocol at state events, meetings with congressional leaders and other social events, according to the White House Historical Association.
Army Capt. Rachel Lobach, left, escorts fashion designer Ralph Lauren at the White House Jan. 4, 2025, as former President Joe Biden presents him with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. (AP)
News photos and White House video show Lobach assisting Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Ralph Lauren at a Jan. 4 White House ceremony with Biden.
Lobach once posed at the White House press briefing room lectern in 2023, according to a photo that a friend shared with some news outlets. But Lobach did not work for the White House press team.
Lobach served as an aviation officer in the Army from July 2019 until her death, the Army said. She served in the 12th Aviation Battalion based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Her family said she was named a distinguished military graduate in ROTC at the University of North Carolina and was among the top 20% of cadets nationwide.
The Army said she received the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
We rate the claim that an image showed Lobach worked for years at the Biden White House False.
Instagram post, Feb. 2, 2025 (archived)
Threads post, Feb. 2, 2025 (archived)
X post, Feb. 2, 2025 (archived)
Email interview, Cameron Smith, former White House photographer, Feb. 3, 2025
Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary, Threads post, Jan. 2, 2025
Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary, X post, Jan. 3, 2025
Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary, Instagram post, Jan. 2, 2025
Philip Melanchthon Wegmann, Real Clear Politics White House reporter, X post, Feb. 2, 2025
The White House Historical Association, White House Military Social Aides, accessed Feb. 3, 2025
U.S. Army, Army identifies Third Soldier involved in Helicopter Crash, Feb. 1, 2025
USA Today, 'Earned her place': Friends grieve Rebecca Lobach, US Army pilot killed in DC crash, Feb. 1, 2025
The Washington Post, Army identifies third soldier killed in D.C. air collision, Feb. 1, 2025
The Associated Press, Friends say Army captain killed in midair collision was a ‘brilliant and fearless’ patriot, Feb. 2, 2025
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