--- title: "Army searching for $33,000 in helicopter gear, radios stolen from rental car in Oregon" description: "Army investigators are looking into the theft of helicopter gear, military radios and other supplies from a car rental parked in a hotel lot." date: "2026-06-08" modified: "2026-06-08" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" - name: "Patty Nieberg" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/patty-nieberg.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-stolen-gear-oregon/" categories: - "Army" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # Army searching for $33,000 in helicopter gear, radios stolen from rental car in Oregon ![Oregon Army National Guard Sgt. James McKnight, B Co., 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion, surveys the area out of the side window of the CH-47F Chinook during a dust landing certification flight at the National Training Center (NTC) in Fort Irwin, Calif., May 29, 2019. B Co. 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion is providing air lift capabilities and support to the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team. A month-long NTC rotation provides more than 4,000 service members from 31 states, including units from 13 National Guard states and territories, with realistic training to enhance their combat, support and sustainment capabilities. (Photo by Cpl. Alisha Grezlik, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)]() *Several thousand dollars in military equipment, including flight helmets, was stolen from a soldier’s rental car. Army photo.* Army investigators are looking into the theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear from a soldier’s rental vehicle in Portland, Oregon. The missing Army gear includes flight helmets, supplies and survival radios. Three soldiers checked into a Portland hotel while on an assignment to return a helicopter to Oregon. They locked $33,000 worth of gear in their rental vehicle that was parked in the hotel’s lot, according to [reporting from KGW](), an Oregon-based news outlet. The list of stolen gear includes three survival radios, a Getac military-grade ruggedized laptop, a SHOUT Nano satellite navigation device, a Sentry ADS-B aircraft tracker, flight helmets and suits, cold weather gear, survival knives, and iPads. Sgt. Kevin Allen, a public information officer with the Portland Police Bureau, confirmed to Task & Purpose that the gear was stolen in a vehicle break-in overnight between Oct. 29 and 30. Army Criminal Investigation Division officials confirmed that they have an open investigation into the theft. “To protect the integrity of the investigation and to ensure all leads can be thoroughly explored, we are unable to share specific details at this time,” Jason Mills, an Army spokesperson, said. KGW first reported the theft, citing federal court records. The outlet did not name the suspect listed in court records because the case was closed. According to the outlet, the investigation has faced setbacks that have made it difficult to move the case forward. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()