Screaming Jets Interrupt Grieving Dad
Updated 11:58 AM PST, Wed, Dec 10, 2008
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The grieving husband and father of a family killed by a military jet was cut off repeatedly by the sound of aircraft as he tried to speak publicly about his loss.
Military officials said they did not mean to interfere with the news conference and that the timing of the flyovers was unfortunate.
The U.S. Marine Corps released a statement on Tuesday tonight:
"Although this is an unfortunate incident, there is still a matter of maintaining operational readiness,” the statement read. “We would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this incident."
Overwhelmed with anguish, Dong Yun Yoon walked unsteadily to a pile of rubble where his house once stood and pleaded for advice on how to cope with tragedy.
Yoon’s wife, Young Mi Yoon, 36; daughters Grace, 15 months, and Rachel, 2 months; and mother-in-law, Suk Im Kim, 60; were killed by a fighter jet that lost power and by chance crashed through their home and burst into flames.
During the media conference, Yoon asked for guidance from people who have suffered "more terrible things."
"Please tell me how to do it," Yoon told reporters Tuesday, trying to contain his emotions with his pastor, brother and sister at his side. "I don't know what to do."
Yoon, sobbing into a tissue at the foot of his destroyed home, also asked the public to pray for the jet's Marine pilot, who ejected safely from the F/A-18D Hornet after his training mission went awry Monday.
"I don't have any hard feelings," Yoon told reporters, speaking haltingly. "I know he did everything he could."
The military has given no official word on the cause of the crash, but a congressional aide who was briefed on the incident said the pilot had been attempting to land at a nearby base after his right engine malfunctioned. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not yet public.
While the pilot was on final approach to the runway, the aircraft also lost thrust from its left engine, the aide said.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, called on the Marine Corps on Tuesday to release the maintenance records of all its F/A-18D Hornet fighters.
He also said the fiery crash apparently was caused by power failure and was likely unrelated to the previous discovery of cracks in hinges on the wings of more than a dozen of the $57-million aircraft.
"It is important that we gain a complete understanding of what went wrong," Hunter said.
Marine Cpl. Travis Easter said officials at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, where the plane was trying to land, had no immediate response to the request for maintenance records.
First Published: Dec 9, 2008 1:03 AM PST
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