Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thalia Suzanne Ramirez was born on May 15th, 1984. She grew up in Nairobi, Kenya and attended Braeburn School.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez enlisted in the Army in 2003 as a water purification specialist. While in the Army, she met her husband, Jesse Belbeck, and the couple was married in 2007. Belbeck would later reflect on their time together playing Call of Duty, talking about their childhoods, and doting on Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez’s pug, Princess Jasmine.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez earned her OH-58D Kiowa Warrior qualification in 2008. She logged 1,164 hours of combat time piloting the craft. She was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. She deployed to Afghanistan for the first time in 2009 and again in 2011.
Belbeck was in Afghanistan during her second tour, and the couple visited with one another whenever they could; Belbeck would fly to Bagram Airfield to see Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez and Ramirez would travel to resupply Belbeck’s unit when she wasn’t occupied by a mission.
According to the New York Times, “[if] they weren’t able to see each other in person, she would fly over his position and tip her rotors.” The couple spent the holidays in Wardak Province. Belbeck gifted Ramirez jewelry and they played in the snow. Three weeks later, Belbeck traveled back to Fort Bragg to work and waited for Ramirez to return home.
On September 5th, 2012, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jose Montenegro were in an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior supporting American and Afghan troops who were under fire in Logar Province with insurgents firing small arms at the helicopters.
The insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade, and although Chief Warrant Officers 2 Ramirez and Montenegro’s craft was not struck, its tail rotor yoke fell apart as they were providing cover. Both soldiers were killed in the resulting crash. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez was days from coming home from deployment. She was survived by her parents and her husband.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez is remembered for her outstanding bravery. Having “commanded the stage as an actor” while in school, Ramirez carried that same confidence with her to service, especially in the face of danger.
Lieutenant Colonel Landy Dunham said, “Thalia never failed to set the perfect example of a confident and competent warrior. She was fearless and loved her job. She selflessly risked everything, on a regular basis, in defense of her brothers and sisters in arms.” Her father-in-law later reflected on the first time they met: “She was very guarded. At first, I was kind of put off by it. I thought, ‘What the hell?’ Then I learned more about her and watched her. She’s a warrior woman.”
A friend of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ramirez named Nix commented on her obituary, “Thalia I miss you sooo much. My best friend. We went through some crazy times that lead us both to be strong women. There are some things only we will understand, and I miss getting those random calls from all over the world. I know you won’t be resting in peace cos you will be busy doing something! Resting is not your forte 🙂 love you and thinking of you always Chica.”
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thalia S. Ramirez was 28. Her many awards include the Air Medal 3rd device, the Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Valorous Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon 2nd device, NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Army Aviator Badge.
She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Sources:
https://diasporamessenger.com/2012/09/a-kenyanpuerto-rican-dies-in-us-chopper-crash-in-afghanistan/
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/94436/82nd-combat-aviation-brigade-pilots-killed-eastern-afghanistan
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/arlington-va/thalia-ramirez-5250160
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/23/magazine/those-who-cant-forget-ramirez.html
https://www.dvidshub.net/image/660619/82nd-combat-aviation-brigade-pilots-killed-eastern-afghanistan
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96796426/thalia_suzanne-ramirez
https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-chief-warrant-officer-2-thalia-s-ramirez/6568336
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