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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 144-03
March 24, 2003

DOD IDENTIFIES AIR FORCE CREW KILLED IN HELICOPTER ACCIDENT

The Department of Defense announced today the identities of six Air Force people killed in an HH-60 Pave Hawk accident in Afghanistan Sunday. Killed were:

1st Lt. Tamara Archuleta, 23, of Los Lunas, N.M.

Staff Sgt. Jason Hicks, 25, of Jefferson, S.C.

Master Sgt. Michael Maltz, 42, of St. Petersburg, Fla.

Senior Airman Jason Plite, 21, of Lansing, Mich.

Lt. Col. John Stein, 39, of Bardolph, Ill.

Staff Sgt. John Teal, 29, of Dallas, Texas

Archuleta, Hicks, Stein, and Teal were assigned to the 41st Rescue Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga. Maltz and Plite were assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.