thedrifter
02-08-07, 06:46 AM
Swampscott marine dies in chopper crash in Iraq
By O’Ryan Johnson
Thursday, February 8, 2007 - Updated: 01:54 AM EST
An overachiever who graduated Swampscott High School bound for the Naval Academy, Jennifer Harris signed up for the most grueling program available: She wanted to be a Marine, according to the town’s veteran agent.
Harris, 27, a Marine Corps captain, was killed yesterday while piloting her CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter north of Baghdad.
“She was a great kid,” said Swampscott town veterans agent Jim Schultz. “This was her third tour. She was scheduled to come home next week.”
The crash - which killed five Marines and two sailors - remains under investigation by the Pentagon, with conflicting reports over what caused the aircraft to go down. Military officials told theAssociated Press that mechanical problems caused the crash, while Iraqi officials say an insurgent anti-aircraft missile struck the helicopter. A terrorist group in Iraq claimed responsibility for the crash.
Swampscott hosted a “Welcome Home” party for Harris last summer and she kept in regular contact with folks back home, Schultz said.
“The police department sent her a care package, and she just sent one back,” he said.
He said in exchange for the baby wipes, soap, lip balm and regular essentials desert-stationed Marines request, Harris returned the favor by sending the police department a package with her squadron’s T-shirts, a flag that flew over a post in Iraq, and squadron patches. The package arrived about a week and a half ago, he said.
She was assigned to HMM-364,the “Purple Foxes,” a storied Marine squadron with a history that pre-dates the Vietnam War, the era when the CH-46 helicopter, also called the “Phrog,” was first introduced.
Though considered outdated by many military experts, the CH-46 is equipped with chaff and flare deterrents designed to confuse heat-seeking or radar-guided missiles.
Reached at home last night, her father Raymond Harris, declined to comment.
Ellie
By O’Ryan Johnson
Thursday, February 8, 2007 - Updated: 01:54 AM EST
An overachiever who graduated Swampscott High School bound for the Naval Academy, Jennifer Harris signed up for the most grueling program available: She wanted to be a Marine, according to the town’s veteran agent.
Harris, 27, a Marine Corps captain, was killed yesterday while piloting her CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter north of Baghdad.
“She was a great kid,” said Swampscott town veterans agent Jim Schultz. “This was her third tour. She was scheduled to come home next week.”
The crash - which killed five Marines and two sailors - remains under investigation by the Pentagon, with conflicting reports over what caused the aircraft to go down. Military officials told theAssociated Press that mechanical problems caused the crash, while Iraqi officials say an insurgent anti-aircraft missile struck the helicopter. A terrorist group in Iraq claimed responsibility for the crash.
Swampscott hosted a “Welcome Home” party for Harris last summer and she kept in regular contact with folks back home, Schultz said.
“The police department sent her a care package, and she just sent one back,” he said.
He said in exchange for the baby wipes, soap, lip balm and regular essentials desert-stationed Marines request, Harris returned the favor by sending the police department a package with her squadron’s T-shirts, a flag that flew over a post in Iraq, and squadron patches. The package arrived about a week and a half ago, he said.
She was assigned to HMM-364,the “Purple Foxes,” a storied Marine squadron with a history that pre-dates the Vietnam War, the era when the CH-46 helicopter, also called the “Phrog,” was first introduced.
Though considered outdated by many military experts, the CH-46 is equipped with chaff and flare deterrents designed to confuse heat-seeking or radar-guided missiles.
Reached at home last night, her father Raymond Harris, declined to comment.
Ellie