Local Marines Among 9 Killed In Training Accident
SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, CA — Authorities Monday identified nine Marines killed or presumed dead when an amphibious assault vehicle sank during a training mission of the coast of San Clemente Island Thursday. Several were from Southern California and all were younger than 24-years-old.
The accident happened at 5:45 p.m. Thursday roughly 70 miles off the coast of San Diego, according to Marine officials. Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, was found at the scene and pronounced dead. He was a rifleman with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Authorities spent the next several days trying to find eight other marines who went missing in the training accident.
The community today is morning the lives of eight young service members presumed dead, including:
Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 19, of Corona in Riverside County, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California, a hospital corpsman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Oregon, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Oregon, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
All of the Marines involved were assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Camp Pendleton.
The training accident happened Thursday about 1,000 yards of the coast of San Clemente Island in water hundreds of feet deep. The 26-ton and and sea-going vehicle carrying 16 service members began taking on water as it was en route to meet up with a waiting ship. The water's depth may have been a factor.
"It's really below the depth that a diver can go to,"said Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman, commanding general of 1st MEF.
Seven of the personnel were able to get out of the sinking vehicle and were pulled from the water. Medics took two of them to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where both were admitted in critical condition.
One of them was upgraded to stable condition as of Sunday night, Marine officials said.
The other five rescued Marines received clean bills of health and returned to their units, officials said.
The 15th MEU, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) had been working together to try to locate more survivors, but they concluded the search and rescue operation Saturday after 40 hours of searching across 1,324 square miles.
The incident will be the subject of an exhaustive investigation, according to USMC officials.
"Our thoughts and prayers have been, and will continue to be with our Marines' and sailor's families during this difficult time," said Col. Christopher Bronzi, the commanding officer of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). "The steadfast dedication of the Marines, sailors, and Coast Guardsmen to the persistent rescue effort was tremendous."
The Undersea Rescue Command will now deploy an underwater drone to look for remains on the ocean floor, with support from offshore supply ship HOS Dominator.
San Clemente Island is one of the eight islands that make up the Channel Islands archipelago.
The island is owned and operated by the U.S. Navy and is part of Los Angeles County. It is administered by Naval Base Coronado.
City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on the North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch
