The U.S. military has identified five Marines who were declared dead after their KC-130 refueling plane collided with a F/A-18 fighter jet last week off Japan’s southern coast.
The Marine Corps identified the crew members as Lt. Col. Kevin R. Herrmann, 38, of New Bern, North Carolina; Maj. James M. Brophy, 36, of Staatsburg, New York; Staff Sgt. Maximo A. Flores, 27, of Surprise, Arizona; Cpl. Daniel E. Baker, 21, of Tremont, Illinois; and Cpl. William C. Ross, 21, of Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Their airplane was involved in a mishap with a Hornet around 2 a.m. local time on Dec. 6, about 200 miles off the coast of Kochi, Japan. The Marine Corps is still investigating the circumstances of the mishap and has not released any additional details about what went wrong during that nighttime training event.
Search and recovery operations have ended after finding only one survivor, the F/A-18 Hornet’s weapons system officer who has been released from the hospital.
Also killed in the crash was the Hornet’s pilot, Capt. Jahmar F. Resilard, 28, of Miramar, Fla.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the names of our fallen Marines,” Lt. Col. Mitchell Maury, commanding officer of VMGR-152, said in a statement today.
“They were exceptional aviators, Marines, and friends whom will be eternally missed. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and loved ones at this extremely difficult time.”
According to the Marine Corps news release:
Lt. Col. Kevin R. Herrmann served 16 years in the Marine Corps. His decorations include the Air Medal with twenty-four Strike Flight Awards, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. He was promoted to the rank of Lt. Col. posthumously.
Maj. James M. Brophy served 12 years in the Marine Corps. His decorations include the Air Medal with two Strike Flight Awards, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and one Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
Staff Sgt. Maximo A. Flores served nine years in the Marine Corps. His decorations include one Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with one bronze star. He is survived by his wife.
Cpl. Daniel E. Baker served two years in the Marine Corps. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He is survived by his mother and father.
Cpl. William C. Ross served two years in the Marine Corps. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He is survived by his mother and father.
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