CW3 Andrew Cully

May 12, 1990 - September 17, 2025

C Co, 4/160 SOAR

On Wednesday, September 17th, CW3 Andrew Cully made the ultimate sacrifice while conducting a training mission when his MH-60 Blackhawk crashed near JBLM, WA.

Born May 12, 1990, in Springfield, MO, to Blake and Kim (Hunt) Cully, Drew was intelligent, humble, dedicated, compassionate, and courageous. At age 11, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized at First Baptist Church-Ozark.

Drew graduated from Ozark High School in 2008 and attended Missouri State University, where he joined ROTC, completed basic training at Fort Benning, GA and served in the National Guard. Upon graduation from Missouri State University in May 2013, he was commissioned as a US Army Aviation Officer (2ndLieutenant).

After flight school at Fort Rucker, AL where he qualified as a Black Hawk pilot, his first assignment brought him to Honolulu, HI. There he met and married the love of his life, Layne McGuirt. While stationed there, he attained the rank of Captain.

In 2018, his first son, Lennox Dunn Cully, was born. After serving in HI, his next assignment took them to Fort Riley, KS. In 2019, his second son, Abbott Wells Cully, was born.

After serving as a commissioned officer, Drew became an Aviation Warrant Officer, advancing to Chief Warrant Officer Three, and served as an Instructor Pilot at Fort Bragg, NC. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Global Security from Arizona State University in 2020.

Following his selection to the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, he trained at Fort Campbell, KY, before moving to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. Drew participated in multiple deployments, including INDOPACOM, and supported training missions both in the U.S. and overseas.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Basic Army Aviator Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Air Assault Badge.

Drew will be remembered as a devoted and loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife, Layne; sons, Lennox and Abbott; parents, Blake and Kim Cully; sister, Mackenzie Sublette and her husband, Tanner; grandparents, James and Mary Hunt, Carol Cully; in-laws, Woody and Karen McGuirt; sister-in-law, Meg Smith and her husband, Chris; nieces and nephews, Elli James, Radley, Zoë, and Murray; and a large extended family. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Lotus Cully and Keith Cully.