PACIFIC OCEAN (July 31, 2020) – Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Joseph Rivera, a search and rescue swimmer assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8), looks out of a U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk while conducting search and rescue operations following an AAV-P7/A1 assault amphibious vehicle mishap off the coast of Southern California, July 30, 2020. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mackenzie Binion.
A search and rescue operation has ended for seven US Marines and one sailor who went missing after an assault amphibious vehicle (AAV) accident off the coast of Southern California on Thursday.
All eight service members are presumed dead, the Marine Corps reported Saturday.
“It is with a heavy heart, that I decided to conclude the search and rescue effort,” said Col. Christopher Bronzi, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s commanding officer, in a release. “The steadfast dedication of the Marines, Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen to the persistent rescue effort was tremendous.”
Some 15 Marines and one sailor were aboard the vehicle when it began taking on water at 5:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, officials said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Guillermo Perez was confirmed killed in the accident. Eight other Marines were rescued. Of that number, two were hospitalized for their injuries. One injured Marine who was listed as critical in the immediate aftermath of the incident has since been upgraded to stable, officials said over the weekend. The other injured Marine was listed as having entered the hospital in critical condition, and military officials had not issued an update on his status prior to this article’s publication.
The search and rescue effort lasted 40 hours and included Navy and Coast Guard helicopters, as well as the USS John Finn destroyer, a Coast Guard cutter, and other small boats from nearby Navy ships.
“The [I Marine Expeditionary Force] family mourns the loss of the 7 Marines and a sailor of the 15th [Marine Expeditionary Unit]. To not have all the answers right now is heartbreaking,” said Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force. “Our hearts break for their families and friends. We pray they find comfort in this difficult time.”
Bronzi said that a recovery operation had begun to locate the bodies of the eight missing service members. Participating in that search will be the offshore supply vessel HOS Dominator, as well as a remotely operated submarine from Undersea Rescue Command to search the sea floor.
“As we turn to recovery operations we will continue our exhaustive search for our missing Marines and Sailor,” Bronzi said.
The eight service members who are presumed dead:
Pfc. Bryan Baltierra, 19, of Corona, California
Lance Cpl. Marco Barranco, 21, of Monticello, California
Pfc. Evan Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin
U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California
Pfc. Jack Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Oregon
Cpl. Wesley Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas
Lance Cpl. Chase Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Oregon
Cpl. Cesar Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, California
The AAV is the Marine Corps’ workhorse amphibious landing vehicle, designed to transport Marine surface assault elements onto shorelines and support them onward to inland objectives. Known among Marines as an “amtrac,” the AAV is a tracked vehicle that operates both as a boat and a ground vehicle. Unlike landing vessels used in World War II, the AAV transports landing Marines through the deadly surf zone and allows them to disembark farther inland.
The cause of Thursday’s accident remains under investigation, Marine Corps officials reported.
Editor’s note: The original headline of this article indicated that there were seven service members presumed dead in the AAV accident; it has been updated to reflect the correct information from the article that there are eight presumed dead, seven Marines and one sailor.
For more than 150 years, the Medal of Honor has been used to recognize acts of extraordinary battlefield courage performed in service to the United States.
Medical oversight and care were “poorly organized, poorly integrated and poorly led and put candidat...
Memorial Day was created as a remembrance to honor the fallen by decorating graves — a holiday meant...
The Air Force fighter pilot about to be nominated as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ...
In an effort to continue Black Rifle Coffee Company’s mission of supporting the veteran community, B...
Black Rifle Coffee Company will honor Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 this Memorial Day. Menusa was killed in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq.
The nuclear-powered ship USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a rapid dinghy-type boat with armed personnel on board.
Two-time Academy Award nominee Adam Driver, who will soon be starring as Enzo Ferrari in a biopic of...