Marine Helicopter Crash Victims’ Names Released

Marine Helicopter Crash Victims’ Names Released

The Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in dense fog during a training mission in Florida was carrying seven Marines from Special Operations Command forces based in North Carolina, and four National Guard soldiers from Louisiana. Their identities have no been released, according to the Daily Mail:

wreck

Bad weather prevented the recovery of bodies and the flight recorder from the wreckage on Thursday, and while the military had not officially released any times, loved one of those on the doomed copter did speak with the press.

Meanwhile, divers have found the wreckage of the military helicopter in just 25 feet of water

‘It was certainly a high-impact crash,’ said Eglin Fire Chief Mark Giuliano, and ‘very, very, very dense fog’ was complicating the response.

There’s almost no visibility at the spot where the wreckage was found, forcing search crews to move slowly to avoid colliding with each other, and the surf is too rough still to pull the wreckage to the surface.

Dozens of airmen walked the shores of Santa Rosa Sound Thursday, recovering pieces of clothing and bits of wreckage, but the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday afternoon, and will instead focus on helping the Army recover the remaining fuselage and debris, it said.

President Barack Obama has promised a thorough investigation into the cause, which is being led by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center out of Fort Rucker, Alabama.

The helicopter went down Tuesday night in fog so thick that another helicopter turned back.

A woman at campground nearby, Kim Urr, said she heard a metallic sound and then two muffled explosions as it disappeared into the narrow waterway separating Santa Rosa Island from the Florida panhandle mainland.

This dense sea fog, which could persist through Friday, is common when warm southern air meets cold water this time of year, said Jack Cullen, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mobile, Alabama.

The same fog enveloped a large gathering holding a vigil on a pier Wednesday night.

Crashing Gulf waves created a somber backdrop to the songs, tears and prayers of the people, who have strong ties to the military and the sprawling Eglin Air Force Base.

‘My heart is really hurt right now knowing these people were here just on training – knowing they went and left their family members and did not give that goodbye, you know, because they weren’t going off to war,’ said a tearful Dolly Edwards, herself the wife of a Marine.

The identities of the seven Marines killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Florida this week have been revealed:

Staff Sgt. Kerry Michael Kemp, 27, was the proud father of a baby just shy of her first birthday
Staff Sgt. Marcus S. Bawol, 27, was engaged to be married this October
Capt. Stanford Henry Shaw III had served two tours of duty in Iraq and attended the United States Naval Academy
Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn had received three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with Valor and the Bronze Star with Valor
Master Sgt. Thomas A. Saunders, 33, was married to a fellow Marine and the couple had a son
Staff Sgt. Trevor P. Blaylock, 29, had served two tours of duty in Iraq and received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor
Staff Sgt. Andrew C. Seif was a Silver Star Medal recipient who received the award for facing enemy fire to save a mortally wounded friend in Afghanistan

Such a sad, horrible ending to lives with such promise and potential. Thank you all for you service to our country and may you rest in peace. Semper Fidelis.

Written by Katie McGuire. Follow Katie on Twitter @GOPKatie

McGuire

Writer, Blogger. Political aficionado. Addicted to all levels of government campaigns.

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