thedrifter
08-23-07, 05:58 AM
2 Colo. Marines killed in crash memorialized
Charles Osgood and Cesar Freitas had served in Iraq. They died in a helicopter accident in Arizona.
By Tom McGhee Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 08/23/2007 01:36:54 AM MDT
Two Colorado Marines killed when the search-and-rescue helicopter they were flying crashed last week were remembered in a memorial service Wednesday in Arizona.
Sgt. Charles Osgood, 27, formerly of Lakewood, the chopper's crew chief, and Maj. Cesar Y. Freitas, 35, a Marine pilot, were among four killed in the crash during a routine training mission near Yuma.
Freitas called Boulder home.
"I know Charlie is in a better place now. Charlie will be missed but never forgotten," Ryan Pecknold said of his friend Osgood, according to the Marine Corps News.
Osgood leaves behind an 11-month-old son and a wife who is expecting twins. "He just called me two weeks ago so excited because he was going to have twins," said Donald Zie lesch, a family friend.
Freitas was a gregarious soul who loved people and couldn't go anywhere without running into someone he knew, his wife, Jennifer Freitas told The Denver Post on Monday.
Freitas had served in Iraq, but most recently was training and flying rescue missions in Yuma.
After graduating from high school, Osgood attended Colorado Aero Tech. He moved to Phoenix and worked as a mechanic at a flight school, his mother, Leslie Osgood, said.
Osgood's father, John, a retired Public Service Company meter reader, tried to talk him out of joining the Marines, Les lie Osgood said in a phone interview. He delayed enlisting because of his father's concerns.
Charles Osgood served one tour of duty in Iraq before the Marines assigned him to the search-and-rescue unit in Arizona.
"I remember him talking about the enemy shooting at him," Les lie Osgood said.
When he was assigned to Yuma, friends believed he was finally safe.
"We were all relieved that he had come home safely, which adds to the grief," said Martin Jacobsen, pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Denver.
When Osgood told her he was joining the Marines, Jackie Kendall-Gebel, director of children's ministries at the church, asked him if he really wanted to make such a dangerous career move.
"He said: 'Jackie, I really want to do this. This is something I can do to make a difference."'
Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com.
Ellie
Charles Osgood and Cesar Freitas had served in Iraq. They died in a helicopter accident in Arizona.
By Tom McGhee Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 08/23/2007 01:36:54 AM MDT
Two Colorado Marines killed when the search-and-rescue helicopter they were flying crashed last week were remembered in a memorial service Wednesday in Arizona.
Sgt. Charles Osgood, 27, formerly of Lakewood, the chopper's crew chief, and Maj. Cesar Y. Freitas, 35, a Marine pilot, were among four killed in the crash during a routine training mission near Yuma.
Freitas called Boulder home.
"I know Charlie is in a better place now. Charlie will be missed but never forgotten," Ryan Pecknold said of his friend Osgood, according to the Marine Corps News.
Osgood leaves behind an 11-month-old son and a wife who is expecting twins. "He just called me two weeks ago so excited because he was going to have twins," said Donald Zie lesch, a family friend.
Freitas was a gregarious soul who loved people and couldn't go anywhere without running into someone he knew, his wife, Jennifer Freitas told The Denver Post on Monday.
Freitas had served in Iraq, but most recently was training and flying rescue missions in Yuma.
After graduating from high school, Osgood attended Colorado Aero Tech. He moved to Phoenix and worked as a mechanic at a flight school, his mother, Leslie Osgood, said.
Osgood's father, John, a retired Public Service Company meter reader, tried to talk him out of joining the Marines, Les lie Osgood said in a phone interview. He delayed enlisting because of his father's concerns.
Charles Osgood served one tour of duty in Iraq before the Marines assigned him to the search-and-rescue unit in Arizona.
"I remember him talking about the enemy shooting at him," Les lie Osgood said.
When he was assigned to Yuma, friends believed he was finally safe.
"We were all relieved that he had come home safely, which adds to the grief," said Martin Jacobsen, pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Denver.
When Osgood told her he was joining the Marines, Jackie Kendall-Gebel, director of children's ministries at the church, asked him if he really wanted to make such a dangerous career move.
"He said: 'Jackie, I really want to do this. This is something I can do to make a difference."'
Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com.
Ellie