The four US Marines who were killed in a helicopter crash during a NATO training exercise off the coast Norway on Friday have been identified.
The Marine Corps, in a Sunday statement, identified the dead as Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky; Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30, of Cambridge, Ohio; Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Capt. Ross A. Reynolds, 27, of Leominster, Massachusetts.
All four men were assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in New River, North Carolina.
The victims’ MV-22B Osprey was reported missing around 6:30 p.m. local time Friday after failing to report back from a training mission in Nordland County in northern Norway, the Norwegian armed forces said in a statement.
(Clockwise) Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27 (top left), Capt. Ross A. Reynolds, 27, Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30 and Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24 Twitter/ US Naval Institute
US Marines inspect an MV-22B Osprey prior to flight at Norwegian Air Force Base Bodo during Exercise Cold Response 22 in Norway on March 16. Lance Cpl. Elias E. Pimentel III/U.S. Marine Corps via APThe cause of the crash remained under investigation. Officials reported inclement weather in the area at the time.
The bodies of the four Marines were recovered from the crash site in the Arctic Ocean on Sunday and are being returned to the US.
“The pilots and crew were committed to accomplishing their mission and serving a cause greater than themselves,” Maj. Gen. Michael Cederholm of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a letter to the families of the dead, according to The Hill.
Marines with the 2nd Marine Division coordinate close air support with an AH-1Z Viper aircraft assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing before Exercise Cold Response 22 in Setermoen, Norway, on March 8.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. William Chockey/ Facebook
A Japanese Self-Defense Force MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft takes off during a joint exercise with US Marine Corps personnel at the Higashifuji training area. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images“We will continue to execute the mission while keeping these Marines and their service on the forefront of our minds. We will never allow these Marines’ sacrifice to go unnoticed or unappreciated,” he added.
The dead Marines were among the 30,000 NATO troops taking part in annual military exercises 200 miles from Russia’s border with Norway, according to the US military news outlet Stars and Stripes.
With Post wires
