CW3 Dave Lotus became a member of the 3rd Infantry Division on June 18, 2023. He started his journey as a Crew Chief in the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade and transitioned to a full pilot position on October 8, 2023.

As a Flight Leader, CW3 Lotus's leadership has consistently provided direction and inspiration. Whether stepping in as the Brigade Leader for 3CAB or guiding his flight during training, he is a dependable source of high morale and exemplifies knowledge and expertise in all areas of aviation.

In addition, CW3 Lotus fulfills the role of Range Safety Officer in FIG. His commendable service has earned him several accolades, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with V Device, an Army Commendation Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, the NATO Medal, along with Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger tab.

In recognition of Warrant Officer Lotus's significant contributions to service, outstanding leadership, and continuous achievements, he has received the Soldier's Medal and has been honored as Soldier of the Quarter.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm just a 22-year-old guy who likes to play a lot of video games in his spare time, which is most of the time as I'm temporarily unemployed. I have been playing Arma 3 since around 2015 during which I have been a part of 2 other milsim Units and one Halo-inspired group.

Why did you join 3rdID and what keeps you here?

I originally joined after my previous Unit disbanded, and after hearing. 1LT N.Cooper, whom I had known from multiple previous Units, had found a good Unit with which he had been staying. I asked Cooper for more details and at first was slightly skeptical due to the seriousness and focus on realism that I was told, however after deciding to join I realized everyone it just as chill as the guys in the previous groups I played with. The people in this Unit are a lot more welcoming than in other Units I have been a part of and I believe it is because of that and maybe my close to free reign of the Stalker element that I'm enjoying my time here and believe that I will be here for multiple years going forward.

Any favorite/funny/memorable moment throughout your whole time in the unit?

There are multiple but there are 2 specific incidents that I remember as either funny and/or cool. The first incident happened within my first two months in the Unit. I was a Crew Chief flying with (at the time) WO1 P.Byrde.

As we were reinserting a couple of soldiers Byrde noticed that his collective in the Blackhawk kept going down for some unknown reason, whilst attempting an emergency landing we hit a tree that weirdly enough did not damage the helicopter although damaging the soldiers inside of it.

Once we were safely on the ground and I was repairing the helicopter he thought that it might be his HOTAS setting his throttle to zero, because when he stops using it he just sets the throttle to zero and does not unplug it.

After unplugging the HOTAS we simply took off and delivered our reinserts.

The second incident happened a month later when I had just passed WOC and became a WO1 allowing me to fly solo with my copilot. I had my Crew Chief Djikstra with me as we were delivering reinserts, on our way home we were taking multiple Stinger and/or Igla missiles after dodging two, the third one struck us and forced me to autorotate to the ground.

The landing was so hard that I lost consciousness immediately but as luck would have it Djikstra did not. He managed to pull me out of the wreckage and do some quick stabilization before turning to our rear and engaging multiple enemy squads that were quickly approaching.

As we were multiple Kilometers away from the nearest Infantry Squad we had to fend for ourselves, and Voodoo had just left for R&R.

As soon as I woke up and started communication with Djikstra we decided that he should continue engaging the enemy whilst I started on repairing the helicopter which luckily only the engine was hit.After repairing it and starting it Djikstra got into the helicopter and started returning fire with the M134 minigun as I was flying us away.

Any advice to give to your fellow soldiers to help them in their careers here?

Take every opportunity to learn, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more you immerse yourself in the unit and its culture, the more you'll grow in your role

What army value is the most important to you and why?

Integrity. Integrity is important to me because it forms the foundation of trust and reliability. When someone has integrity, they act consistently with their values, even when no one is watching, which creates a sense of honesty and dependability. It allows for genuine relationships, personal accountability, and a clear sense of purpose. I also remember Fitzgeralds answer on this question which I completely agree with, that being: Integrity is the most important value anyone could have. Being that person anyone can come to and talk to about anything whether it is about the Unit or personal problems.

What motivates you to keep pushing forward in the unit and do you have any goals for the future within the unit?

My short-term goal would just be to get CW3, but since I believe I will get that on the 6th of October, I think I should look elsewhere. When I believe I want to expand my horizon I would probably start on my long-term goal. My long-term goal would be to firstly become a great leader, which will take a while, and only after I have achieved that I would like to test out some of the infantry roles and maybe get into a leadership position there sometime. Other than my personal goals I want to help my fellow pilots improve their piloting skills as much as I can.

Any valuable lessons you have learned while being in the unit?

Always respect people, and be nice to them, you don't know where they are in life at the moment. Even if you don't like a person, help them, you might change your mind about them.