Camp Lejeune Marines mourn 10 killed in military helicopter crash

[thedrifter]

Published on Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Camp Lejeune Marines mourn 10 killed in military helicopter crash

MARINE CORPS NEW RIVER AIR STATION, N.C.
The Associated Press

The sanctuary of the base chapel was home Tuesday to 10 wooden crosses draped with flak jackets, helmets and color photos of the military members killed when two choppers collided off the African coast.

Thousands of miles across the globe, a small detachment of Marines from Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 gathered in Djibouti to join the memorial service for the troops lost Feb. 17.

The two CH-53E choppers, carrying a dozen crew and troops, crashed during a training flight Feb. 17 in the Gulf of Aden off the Djibouti coast. The service members were part of the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, a counterterrorism force.

The aircraft and eight Marines were from HMH-464, based at New River Air Station. Two Air Force members were from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., and Langley Air Force Base, Va.

"We gather today in your honor," the squadron's executive officer, Maj. William C. Bentley, read from a letter squadron members wrote to their fallen comrades. "We miss you. You made us better people. We will continue your work. We will take care of the details."

Chaplain Fred Hilder said family members and friends felt shock, anger, grief and denial in the days since the crash.

"This is their chance to begin healing," said Col. Christopher Owens of Marine Air Group 29, which oversees the squadron. "There is no closure, but at some point the sorrow turns to inspiration."

An investigative team is in Djibouti compiling evidence on the crash, Owens said. The investigation could take a month.

Only about 20 Marines are still deployed in Djibouti.

The Marines killed in the crash were:

_ Sgt. Don Leo Ford Levens, 25, of Long Beach, Miss.

_ Sgt. Jonathan E. McColley, 23, of Gettysburg, Pa.

_ Cpl. Matthieu Marcellus, 31, of Gainesville, Fla.

_ 1st Lt. Brandon R. Dronet, 33, of Erath, La.

_ Sgt. James F. Fordyce, 22, of Newtown Square, Pa.

_ Lance Cpl. Samuel W. Large, Jr., 21, of Villa Rica, Ga.

_ Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, of Ogdensburg, N.Y.

_ Capt. Bryan D. Willard, 33, of Hummelstown, Pa.

Also killed in the crash were Senior Airman Alecia S. Good, 23, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, who was based at Fairchild Air Force Base, and Staff Sgt. Luis M. Melendez Sanchez, 33, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, who was based at Langley Air Force Base.

The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, based in Djibouti, is responsible for fighting terrorism in nine countries in the region: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Somalia in Africa and Yemen on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.

The impoverished region, which is home to many Muslims, is a well-established recruiting ground for terrorist groups.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

‘They gave everything’
March 01,2006
CHRISSY INGRAM
DAILY NEWS STAFF

The sun peered through the stained glass windows in the base chapel at New River Air Station Tuesday morning, trying to shed hope on a solemn day.

Family members and friends sat silently on the pews. Others watched flat-screen TVs under a red-and-yellow-striped tent outside. Marines, sailors and airmen reflected quietly from the base theater next door.

Thousands of miles away at that very moment, a small detachment from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 gathered in Djibouti.

Though they may have been separate in locations, all were unified in cause: to remember the 10 U.S. service members who died when two Marine Corps helicopters crashed off the coast of Africa.

The two CH-53E choppers, carrying a dozen crew members and troops from a U.S. counterterrorism force, went down during a training flight Feb. 17 in the Gulf of Aden, near the northern coastal town of Ras Siyyan in Djibouti. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The aircraft and eight Marines were from HMH-464, based at New River. Two Air Force members killed were from bases in Washington and Virginia.

Tuesday morning, all were honored.

“They gave everything they had,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Martinez, commanding officer of HMH-464, during the memorial service. “I knew these men. I trained them. I loved them like my own sons.”

Ten wooden crosses stood at the front of the chapel, draped with flak jackets, helmets and color photos of those who died. It was just one way the Marines of HMH-464 could pay tribute to those lost from their “band of brothers.”

A few photos depicted Marines, who stood on the flight line with a helicopter behind. Another sat in the cockpit of a helicopter, geared up and ready to fly. Another sat on the floor, legs sprawled, playing with his dog.

Almost all were smiling.

“We gather today in your honor,” said Maj. William C. Bentley, executive officer of the squadron, reading a letter written by the squadron to their fallen comrades. “We miss you. You made us better people. We will continue your work. We will take care of the details.”

Bentley said their deaths left a large hole in the hearts of fellow Marines, who had been there to hold the hands of their families and cry with them.

“Goodbye brothers,” Bentley read. “We love you. We miss you. And we’ll never forget you. Semper Fi.”

Three Bible verses were read during the service in an attempt to comfort family members and offer hope, said Navy chaplain Cmdr. Fred Hilder. The service ended with Maj. Robert W. Pritchard playing “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes.

Hilder said family members and friends felt shock, anger, grief and denial in recent days. Though time is the one thing that would heal those mourning, chaplains have been on hand to offer a listening ear, he said.

“That is important for the base, important for the community,” Hilder said. “This is a Marine town. It affects everybody.”

The tragedy challenged the entire group, said Col. Christopher Owens of Marine Air Group 29, to which HMH-464 belongs.

“Fortunately, these kinds of tragedies are extremely rare,” said Owens, in a press conference after the memorial service.

An investigative team is in Djibouti compiling evidence on the crash, which happened on a routine training mission, Owens said. The investigation could take up to a month. No more information was immediately available, he said.

He described the mission of the service members in Djibouti as being the “eyes and ears in the outposts of our war on terrorism.”

The squadron was heavily involved in humanitarian operations, Owens said, including building schools, wells and hospitals in an effort to deter locals from supporting “nefarious” activities. Only about 20 Marines are still deployed in Djibouti. Other Marines of HMH-464 were on hand Tuesday to give family members of the fallen service members a tour of the squadron and base.

“This is their chance to begin healing,” Owens said. “There is no closure, but at some point the sorrow turns to inspiration.”

Those honored Thursday were:

1st Lt. Brandon R. Dronet, 33, of Erath, La.

Sgt. James F. Fordyce, 22, of Newtown Square, Pa.

Lance Cpl. Samuel W. Large, Jr., 21, of Villa Rica, Ga.

Sgt. Donnie Leo F. Levens, 25, of Long Beach, Miss.

Cpl. Matthieu Marcellus, 31, of Gainesville, Fla.

Sgt. Jonathan E. McColley, 23, of Gettysburg, Pa.

Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, of Ogdensburg, N.Y.

Capt. Bryan D. Willard, 33, of Hummelstown, Pa.

Senior Airman Alecia S. Good, 23, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, of the 92nd Communications Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.

Staff Sgt. Luis M. Melendez Sanchez, 33, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, of the 1st Communications Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va.

Contact Chrissy Ingram at cingram@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 239.