SAN DIEGO — Three U.S. Marines killed within the weekend crash of an Osprey plane in Australia have been recognized Monday.
They have been Cpl. Spencer R. Collart, 21, of Arlington, Virginia; Capt. Eleanor V. LeBeau, 29, of Belleville, Illinois; and Maj. Tobin J. Lewis, 37, of Jefferson, Colorado, their unit, Marine Rotational Power-Darwin, stated in a press release.
Collart was the Osprey squadron’s crew chief, LeBeau was its pilot, and Lewis was its government officer, the power stated. All, based mostly at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Oahu, have been embellished Marines who had been awarded the International Warfare on Terrorism Service Medal, it stated.
“We’re deeply saddened by the lack of three revered and beloved members of the MRF-D household,” Col. Brendan Sullivan, commanding officer of Marine Rotational Power-Darwin, stated within the assertion.
A MV-22B Osprey prepares to land on the united statesAmerica off Brisbane, Australia, on June 20.Darren England / AAP Picture through AP
The power stated three different Marines injured within the crash on Melville Island Sunday remained beneath the care of Royal Darwin Hospital in Darwin, roughly 60 miles south of the crash web site.
One of many three was described as being in crucial situation; the 2 others have been stabilized and recovering, the Darwin unit stated. Seventeen Marines injured within the crash have been launched from the Darwin hospital.
The Osprey, with 23 Marines on board, crashed “whereas transporting troops throughout a routine coaching train,” the Marine Corps stated in a press release Sunday.
President Joe Biden expressed sorrow for the loss Monday night time on X, the platform previously referred to as Twitter. “Jill and I ship our deepest condolences to the households of the Marines who misplaced their lives on this lethal crash. We’re praying for individuals who additionally suffered accidents,” the publish stated.
The two,000-member Darwin power, led from and largely drawn from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, is in its twelfth yr of participating in workout routines in Australia and making the U.S.’ presence identified in a area additionally influenced by China.
Its Osprey squadron was collaborating in Train Predators Run, a 12-day joint-training mission that features the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, East Timor and Indonesia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over the weekend known as the crash a “tragic incident.”
After an Osprey tiltrotor plane crashed final yr, killing 5 Marines within the California desert, the Navy put all plane beneath its command, together with non-deployed Marine Corps plane, on a short lived “security pause.”
Ospreys have suffered a number of crashes which have killed greater than 50 folks, in keeping with the publication Job & Objective. They’ll take off and land nearly vertically, like helicopters, whereas they’ll fly alongside horizontal strains, like airplanes.
