Air Force identifies all airmen in crashed Osprey and officially declares them deceased

Haley Britzky, CNN
·3 min read
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The Air Force on Tuesday officially said all eight airmen who were aboard the CV-22 Osprey died after it crashed last week off the coast of Yakushima Island, Japan, as they transition from search and rescue operations to search and recovery.

“The recovery operation will now focus on locating and recovering all remains and aircraft debris. Of the eight Airmen, the remains of three Airmen have been recovered, the remains of another three Airmen have been located and are in the process of being recovered, and the remains of two Airmen are still being located,” Air Force Special Operations Command said in a statement on Tuesday.

The transition to search and recovery comes after days of “intensive, 24/7 search and rescue operations,” according to the AFSOC, and occurs “when the determination is made that survivors are unlikely.”

The Air Force identified one airman who was recovered over the weekend as Staff Sgt. Jake Galliher, a 24-year-old direct support operator from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Galliher was assigned to the 43rd Intelligence Squadron, Detachment 1, Operating Location – Alpha, 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing based out of Yokota Air Base, Japan.

The status of the remaining seven airmen was changed from duty status-whereabouts unknown, or DUSTWUN, to deceased, according to AFSOC. On Tuesday, the Air Force identified all seven remaining airmen.

They are:

• US Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, a CV-22 instructor pilot and officer in charge of training, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
• US Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
• US Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
• US Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
• USA ir Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida, a medical operations flight chief assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
• US Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
• US Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, said Tuesday that in “times like these, where service to our nation is not just a personal commitment but also a legacy woven into the fabric of our families, the depth of sorrow is immeasurable.”

“The honorable service of these eight Airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten,” Bauernfeind said, “as they are now among the giants who shape our history.”

The units continuing search and recovery operations are the Japan Coast Guard; Japan Self-Defense Forces; US Pacifc Air Forces; US Pacific Fleet; US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific; Special Operations Command-Pacific; 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan; 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan; and 1st Special Forces Group.

“On behalf of all of the joint U.S. teammates actively involved in the search, we want to extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of Japan’s Self Defense Force, Coast Guard, law enforcement, mariners, and local Yakushima civilian volunteers for their tireless assistance in the search and rescue operations for our airmen,” Rear Adm. Jeromy Williams, Special Operations Command - Pacific commander, said in Tuesday’s release.

“We are resolved to locating our aircrew and bringing them home to their families,” Williams said.

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