Officials have found the remains of the seven marines and one sailor who were lost after their tank sank during a running training exercise off the coast of San Clemente Island.
The group had participated in the July 30 exercise off the coast of California when its amphibious assault vehicle Bagan to take in and sink water.
Of the 16 service providers on board, eight Marines were rescued. One has since died and another is in critical condition, the U.S. Marine Corps said in a press release.
Authorities are working to recover the bodies of the seven Marines and one U.S. Navy sailor who sank with the amphibious assault vehicle on July 30.
In a Saturday Facebook post, the Marines shared that the remains were restored on Friday.
‘Our hearts and minds of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are with the families of our recovered Marines and Sailor,’ Col. Christopher Bronzi, Commander, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
“We hope the successful recovery of our fallen warriors brings some measure of comfort.”
The Marines were stationed at Camp Pendleton, and were all part of the unit.
Officials identified the deceased staff as: Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 19, of Corona, California, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California, a rifleman; Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a rifleman; Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Oregon, a rifleman; Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Oregon, a rifleman; Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, California, a rifleman; and U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California, a hospital corpsman.
US Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California, a hospital corpsman
The recovered Marines and the U.S. Navy Sailor will all be transferred to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. There they will be prepared by teams of mortar companies for burial.
They will be flown to Dover AFB in a solemn transfer, the post reads. Their remains will then be released to their families.
The bodies were placed by the U.S. Navy’s Undersea Rescue Command, which remotely used underwater video systems from the HOS Dominator merchant vessel. The ship specializes in searching for submarines and rescues.
The Navy sent submarine search and rescue ship HOS Dominator to help with recovery Friday
In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Undersea Rescue Command uses the Sibitzky remote-controlled car to assist in the search.
Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene
On Thursday, special equipment arrived on diving and rescue ship to assist in recovery.
The AAV sub sank to about 385ft off the coast of San Clemente Island, with initial reports estimating that the ship went to about 600ft. It has since been recovered.
Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene. The rifleman was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego, with his remains transferred to Dover AFB on Wednesday.
During the entire search for the sea – which was a joint effort of Marine Corps, Marine and the Coast Guard – more than 1,000 sq. Nautical miles were searched by helicopters, ships and personnel.
The commander of the Marine Corps has stopped all hydrogen companies from their more than 800 amphibious attack vehicles until the cause of the accident is determined.
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