thedrifter
07-06-07, 07:54 PM
Marine still missing after apparent drowning
Staff reports
Posted : Friday Jul 6, 2007 17:08:35 EDT
A junior Marine who disappeared in the ocean while swimming near Oceanside, Calif., last Sunday, has still not been found and presumed dead, his wife told a local newspaper.
Lance Cpl. Fabricio Fernandez, a father of two young children, never surfaced after he was seen struggling in the water, apparently caught in a rip current north of the Oceanside city pier during a family outing, his wife told the North County Times. Lifeguards searched the waters but couldn’t find him, and a broader search by lifeguards, divers and a Coast Guard helicopter was unsuccessful.
“It’s hard for me every day, because I know that he’s still out in that ocean,” said his wife, Jessica Fernandez. “Once we have his body, I think I will feel better because then we will have closure.”
She told the paper that the couple’s children, ages 2 and 3, have been wondering about their father.
“They’re always asking for him, asking when is he coming home,” she said.
Her husband enlisted two years ago and was preparing to deploy to Iraq in September. She told the paper that he was swimming near her and her brother 50 to 75 yards offshore when he got caught in some turbulence.
“All I heard was, ‘Baby, help me. I can’t swim,’ ” she said. Several people tried to help, but he disappeared in the ocean.
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. One man told a local TV station that he tried to grab the Marine but couldn’t hold onto him. Rough swells over the July 4 holiday hampered lifeguard search and recovery operations.
Ellie
Staff reports
Posted : Friday Jul 6, 2007 17:08:35 EDT
A junior Marine who disappeared in the ocean while swimming near Oceanside, Calif., last Sunday, has still not been found and presumed dead, his wife told a local newspaper.
Lance Cpl. Fabricio Fernandez, a father of two young children, never surfaced after he was seen struggling in the water, apparently caught in a rip current north of the Oceanside city pier during a family outing, his wife told the North County Times. Lifeguards searched the waters but couldn’t find him, and a broader search by lifeguards, divers and a Coast Guard helicopter was unsuccessful.
“It’s hard for me every day, because I know that he’s still out in that ocean,” said his wife, Jessica Fernandez. “Once we have his body, I think I will feel better because then we will have closure.”
She told the paper that the couple’s children, ages 2 and 3, have been wondering about their father.
“They’re always asking for him, asking when is he coming home,” she said.
Her husband enlisted two years ago and was preparing to deploy to Iraq in September. She told the paper that he was swimming near her and her brother 50 to 75 yards offshore when he got caught in some turbulence.
“All I heard was, ‘Baby, help me. I can’t swim,’ ” she said. Several people tried to help, but he disappeared in the ocean.
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. One man told a local TV station that he tried to grab the Marine but couldn’t hold onto him. Rough swells over the July 4 holiday hampered lifeguard search and recovery operations.
Ellie