Air Force officials have identified all eight airmen killed when their CV-22B Osprey crashed on Nov. 29 near Yakushima Island, Japan.
The eight crew members were aboard the Osprey. Air Force officials released the name of one airman last week whose remains were found by rescuers shortly after the crash, Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob “Jake” Galliher, a Direct Support Operator assigned to the 43rd Intelligence Squadron.
On Monday, Japanese divers found the plane’s submerged fuselage, with five more crewmen inside. U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, announced on Tuesday that, with a total of six crew members recovered, the status of the entire crew had been changed from duty status whereabouts-unknown to deceased.
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According to a flight roster released by the Air Force, three pilots were on board including one instructor pilot along with two flight engineers. The Osprey’s normal flight crew is two pilots and two flight engineers but additional crew members are routinely aboard during training missions.
The other airmen killed were a flight surgeon, a medical specialist, and Galliher, a Mandarin-Chinese linguist serving as a Direct Support Operator.
The seven airmen identified Tuesday were:
Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was 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.
Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was 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.
Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida, was a medical operations flight chief assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
The cause of the Osprey crash is unknown.
U.S. military units taking part in the recovery effort include United States Pacific Air Forces; United States Pacific Fleet; United States 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.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and peers of all who are impacted by this mishap and loss of life,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, AFSOC commander, said in a news release. “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, as they are now among the giants who shape our history.”
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