Lee De Vault was born on July 23, 1946, son of Lillian Elizabeth "Diana" Devault Fajardo. He served as a Major in the US Army Europe.

On September 11, 1982, he was among the 46 victims who lost their lives when the CH-47C Chinook helicopter (serial 74-22292), assigned to the 295th Assault Support Helicopter Company, crashed near Mannheim, West Germany, during the city’s 375th anniversary air show. The aircraft, overloaded with passengers, began descending after mechanical problems were reported. Investigations revealed that clogged oil passages, caused by walnut grit residue left from maintenance, led to transmission failure and loss of rotor synchronization. The resulting collision of the blades caused the helicopter to break apart and crash in flames onto the Autobahn A 656. This tragedy led to a fleet-wide grounding of Chinooks and is regarded as the deadliest helicopter accident in history.

One of the parachutists, identified as Lee, either tried to escape or was thrown from the aircraft and fell to his death. Maj Lee is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.chinook-helicopter.com, www.findagrave.com