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Marines, Sailors and family members gathered to remember and
celebrate the lives of six critical skills operators and one Navy
special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman from U.S. Marine Corps
Forces, Special Operations Command during a celebration of life
ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 31, 2017.
The seven Raiders, from 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, and nine Marine
reservists from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452, were
killed July 10 when their KC-130T Hercules transport aircraft
crashed in Leflore County, Miss. The aircraft was delivering the
seven MARSOC Raiders to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., for
pre-deployment training.
The Marines and Sailors of 2nd MRB paid tribute to their fallen
brothers in a solemn ceremony with fond memories shared for each of
the men. The six Marines and Sailor were: Staff Sgt. Robert Cox, 28,
from Hampstead, N.C., Staff Sgt. William Kundrat, 33, from
Frederick, Md., Sgt. Chad Jenson, 25, from Redondo Beach, Calif.,
Sgt. Dietrich Schmieman, 26, from Richland, Wash., Sgt. Joseph
Murray, 26, from Jacksonville, Fla., Sgt. Talon Leach, 27, from
Fulton, Mo., and Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Lohrey, 30, from
Middletown, Ind.
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August 31, 2017 - Maj. Gen. Carl E. Mundy III, U.S. Marine Corps
Forces, Special Operations Command commander, gives a condolence
speech during a celebration of life ceremony aboard Marine Corps
Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The ceremony honored the seven
MARSOC service members lost July 10 in a KC-130T Hercules transport
aircraft crash. The seven included Staff Sgts. Robert Cox and
William Kundrat, Navy special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman,
Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Lohrey , and Sgts. Chad Jenson,
Dietrich Schmieman, Joseph Murray and Talon Leach. (U.S. Marine
Corps photo by Sgt. Salvador R. Moreno)
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“Anytime you lose anyone, whether it’s one person or
whether it’s 16, it’s not easy,” said 1st Sgt. Jordan L.
Freeland, a 2nd MRB company first sergeant. “Any loss that
we have is tough on everybody, not only the families but the
unit itself and the guys they worked alongside on a
day-to-day basis.”
The service members have already
been laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery and others
closer to their hometowns. The celebration of life however,
serves as a way for friends, family and fellow service
members to remember the great things of each of their lives.
One service member spoke on behalf of each of the fallen,
recalling humorous memories, their many honorable qualities,
and what set each man apart from others, commemorating the
lives they lived.
MARSOC Commander, Maj. Gen. Carl E. Mundy III, offered
his condolences to the families and his thoughts on honoring
them and their sacrifices in the years ahead.
“I have witnessed some tremendous examples of resilience and
strength because each of you modeled it with grace and dignity in
the wake of this tragedy,” said Mundy, as he addressed the families.
“Their lives were sadly cut short, and there’s nothing we can do
about that, except to let their lives and the ways they lived them
serve as an inspiration for all of us - to live as they did. They
lived life full bore, with a sense of joy and meaning that only
derives from service and sacrifice.”
He continued to say the
Marines and Sailor lived intentionally and fully, not safely or by
avoiding hardships.
“Their lives were spent fulfilling a
distinguished purpose, each a life well-lived,” he said.
Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, commander of U.S. Special
Operations Command, Marine Gen. Glenn M. Walters, the Assistant
Commandant of the Marine Corps, Brig. Gen. Bradley S. James, 4th
Marine Aircraft Wing commander, and Marine Lt. Gen. Joseph L.
Osterman, deputy commander, USSOCOM, met with the families and
fellow teammates prior to the ceremony to express their sympathies.
“The Marines are going to respond how their leadership
responds,” said Freeland. “The biggest thing that enables us to push
forward is that leadership aspect - to understand that we just went
through a traumatic piece but at the same time there is still work
ahead of us.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Salvador R. Moreno
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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