Marines to Honor Chopper Crash Victims
By MONICA DEAN
Updated 6:52 AM PST, Mon, Nov 16, 2009
A memorial service is planned Monday for four Camp Pendleton-based Marines killed when two helicopters collided in Afghanistan last month.
The four Marines, assigned to squadrons under the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, were killed in action Oct. 26.
Capt. Kyle Van De Giesen, 29, was originally from North Attleboro, Mass. He left behind a family that includes a pregnant wife and an 18-month old daughter.
Capt. David Seth Mitchell, 30, of Loveland, Ohio; Capt. Eric Jones, 29, of Westchester, New York and Corp. Gregory Fleury, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska will also be remembered.
Fleury's grandfather said the Marine was well-known for telling jokes and loved the outdoors. Fleury received several military awards, including the Marine Corps' Good Conduct Medal.
Two other Camp Pendleton-based Marines were hurt in that crash.
The deadly crash happened on the same day as another crash in Afghanistan that killed 10 other Americans.
In that incident -- seven U.S. servicemen and three DEA agents died after their chopper crashed in Western Afghanistan. They were targeting a suspected drug and weapons trafficker who supplies militants including theTaliban.
First Published: Nov 16, 2009 6:42 AM PST
Don't Miss
cars
3 hours ago
Toyota Launches Massive Prius Recall
Automaker to recall 437,000 Priuses and other hybrids for braking problems.
Read It
local_beat
33 minutes ago
Damaged Yacht Towed Ashore
Pulling this 56-foot boat ashore was anything but a smooth operation.
Read It
local_beat
2 minutes ago
Court Strikes Down Teen Curfew Law
A state appeals court has struck down a San Diego curfew law for teenagers, calling it unconstitutionally broad.
Read It
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
