Photo By Sgt. Joey Mendez | Retired Master Sgt. Patrick Flaherty wipes tears from his face during a memorial...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - On Oct. 16, 2015, family and friends, along with both prior and active duty Marines and sailors, came together in memory of 14 Marines and one sailor aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
During flight operations aboard the USS Guadalcanal on Oct. 15, 1985, a CH-46D Sea Knight helicopter with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263, attached to the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit, crashed into the water just off of Onslow beach. The aircraft was carrying Marines with Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment and a total of 15 service members lost their lives.
This memorial service was intended to remind the survivors, members who were with the unit and loved ones of the victims that the memory of those lost will never be forgotten.
“I’m 60 years old now – twice the age I was when the tragedy occurred. I still think about the lives unlived and the heartache of those left behind. What those who died might have been and those left behind were forced to be. Please know that my heart goes out to you on this day,” said retired Col. Kevin P. Spillers, the co-pilot of the doomed Sea Knight. “We share a bond separated only by miles, not years.”
As the victims were being remembered it was also important to remember the loved ones they left behind.
“For the family members of the deceased, I hope you have been able to find some measure of peace over the years and that this memorial service in some way acknowledges your grief and expresses the gratitude we all feel toward your loved ones sacrifice,” Spillers said.
Being around familiar faces allowed those who attended to rekindle their memories and thoughts of the victims.
“The Marines I worked with really cared about you and wanted to know what you were going through,” said Michael A. Gatton, a former mortar man with the unit and one of the four survivors from the accident. “They were there to support you and suffer with you. They would do anything to make sure the unit stayed one. Nobody was left behind and they were not individuals.”
At the conclusion of the memorial ceremony those who attended were invited to the wreath-laying ceremony at Onslow Beach as the final commemoration to the 15 lives lost 30 years ago.
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2015 23:54 |
| Story ID: | 179335 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 2,545 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, In Loving Memory: Marines remember those lost Oct. 15, 1985, by Sgt Joey Mendez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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