Military

Search and Rescue Operation for Missing Marines and Sailor Called Off, Eight Presumed Dead

August 3, 2020Nolan Peterson
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.

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.”


US Marines with All-Domain Reconnaissance Detachment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit move a combat rubber raiding craft down the well deck ramp of the amphibious landing dock USS Somerset (LPD 25) to conduct 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 Staff Sgt. Kassie McDole.

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.”


A US Marine Corps assault amphibious vehicle (AAV), assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), approaches the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) in the Philippine Sea, Jan. 14, 2019. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Barker.

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


Photos courtesy of the US Marine Corps.

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.



Nolan Peterson
Nolan Peterson
Nolan Peterson is a senior editor for Coffee or Die Magazine and the author of Why Soldiers Miss War. A former US Air Force special operations pilot and a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Nolan is now a conflict journalist and author whose adventures have taken him to all seven continents. In addition to his memoirs, Nolan has published two fiction collections. He lives in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his wife, Lilya.
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