Memorial Set for Coast Guard Crash Victims

By ERIC S. PAGE

Updated 5:45 PM PST, Wed, Nov 4, 2009

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A Coast Guard C130 similar to this one was involved in the fatal crash last week.

A memorial service is planned for Friday morning for the seven Coast Guard members who died in a collision with a Marine helicopter near San Diego last week.

The ceremony will be held at Air Station Sacramento, where the crew of the C-130 was based, the Coast Guard said Wednesday. The service will be closed to the public but transmitted live over the Internet.

The crew members from the Coast Guard C-130 killed in the crash are:

Lt. Cmdr. Che J. Barnes, 35, Capay, Calif., aircraft commander
Lt. Adam W. Bryant, 28, Crewe, Va., co-pilot
Chief Petty Officer John F. Seidman, 43, Stockton, Calif., flight engineer
Petty Officer 2nd Class Carl P. Grigonis, 35, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, navigator
Petty Officer 2nd Class Monica L. Beacham, 29, Decaturville, Tenn., radio operator
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason S. Moletzsky, 26, Norristown, Penn., air crew
Petty Officer 3rd Class Danny R. Kreder II, 22, Elm Mott, Texas, drop master

Pentagon and U.S. military officials said four Marine helicopters were flying in formation from San Diego to San Clemente island about dusk on Thursday night when the Coast Guard C-130 collided with the helicopter.

The AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter's two-man crew -- Major Samuel Leigh, 35, from Maine, and 1st Lt. Thomas Claiborne, 26, of Colorado -- was also killed. A Marine spokesman, Major Jay Delarosa, said a memorial was not yet scheduled.

A joint Marines-Coast Guard board is investigating the cause of the crash.