Sims, Jacob Michael

Jacob Michael Sims was a Chief Warrant Officer 3 in the U.S. Army. A native of Juneau, Alaska, he served as a pilot with Company A, 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), the unit known as the 'Night Stalkers,' based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

On October 28, 2017, Sims was piloting an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a mission in Logar province, Afghanistan. The aircraft was reportedly struck by enemy small arms fire during the operation and crashed. Sims and another service member, Sergeant Jonathon Michael Hunter, were killed in the incident.

The crash occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S.-led NATO mission that succeeded Operation Enduring Freedom in 2015. Its stated objective was to train, advise, and assist Afghan security forces and conduct counterterrorism operations against groups including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the deaths on October 29, 2017. Sims was posthumously promoted from Chief Warrant Officer 2 to Chief Warrant Officer 3. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Sims was remembered by his unit for his professionalism and skill. The 160th SOAR stated he had served multiple combat deployments and was a qualified MH-60M pilot instructor and aircraft commander.

Jacob Sims was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (ongoing since 2015). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael, Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii, Mckenna, Peter Andrew Jr.

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