The Marines killed in Friday’s MV-22 crash were: Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Cpl. Jacob M. Moore of Catlettsburg, Kentucky; Capt. Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster, Massachusetts; and Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy of Cambridge, Ohio.
The Marine Corps has identified the four Marines killed Friday in the crash of an MV-22 Osprey in Norway.
They are:
- Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
- Capt. Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster, Massachusetts.
- Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy of Cambridge, Ohio.
- Cpl. Jacob M. Moore of Catlettsburg, Kentucky.
All four were assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed on Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina.
The four died when their MV-22 crashed south of Bodø, Norway, in what Norwegian authorities said was poor weather. No other details of the crash were released except that Norwegian military authorities confirmed they’d reached the crash site and found all four men dead on Saturday. The Marines were scheduled to land at 6 p.m. local time. Their aircraft was reported missing about 30 minutes later.
The Marines were in Norway as part of Operation Cold Response, a regularly planned cold weather warfare training exercise in Norway involving as many as 30,000 troops from 27 countries in Europe and North America. It is scheduled to last into April. The exercise is not associated with any operations related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The pilots and crew were committed to accomplishing their mission and serving a cause greater than themselves,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Cederholm, the commanding general of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, in a letter to Marines and their families.
According to a Marine press release:
Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz served as an MV-22B Osprey pilot. Tomkiewicz, 27, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, joined the Marine Corps June 18, 2015. Tomkiewicz’s decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Capt. Ross A. Reynolds also served as an MV-22B Osprey pilot. Reynolds, 27, from Leominster, Massachusetts, joined the Marine Corps May 13, 2017. Reynolds’ decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and multiple certificates and letters of appreciation.
Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy was a former Marine Corps drill instructor and served as an administrative specialist. Speedy, 30, from Cambridge, Ohio, joined the Marine Corps June 15, 2009. Speedy’s decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon, and multiple certificates and letters of appreciation.
Cpl. Jacob M. Moore served as an MV-22B Osprey crew chief. Moore, 24, from Catlettsburg, Kentucky, joined the Marine Corps Aug. 20, 2018. Moore’s decorations include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
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Matt White is a former senior editor for Coffee or Die Magazine. He was a pararescueman in the Air Force and the Alaska Air National Guard for eight years and has more than a decade of experience in daily and magazine journalism.
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