Memorial Set for Coast Guard Crash Victims

By ERIC S. PAGE
Updated 5:45 PM PST, Wed, Nov 4, 2009

TWITTER FACEBOOK

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

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.

First Published: Nov 4, 2009 5:15 PM PST

TWITTER FACEBOOK

Don't Miss

local_beat

2 hours ago

Local Businesses Checked for Illegal Workers

Sixty local employers will be inspected by to see if they're employing illegal immigrants.

Read It

politics

Nov 20, 2009

The Browning of California

Brown sure looks like he's running for governor, but he won't come out and say it.

Read It

local_beat

Nov 20, 2009

Teen Admits Killing Border Agent

A 17-year-old admits his role in the murder of an agent shot eight times in July.

Read It
          No comments have been posted yet.

          You have 2000 characters left

          processing
          So My City

          You are posting in (change)

          550/550 characters

          (jpg, pngs, or gifs allowed)

          (jpg, pngs, or gifs allowed)
          *Tip: You can also post moments via email or Twitter.

          processing

          View Your Moment in

          Posted by | 1 second ago

          Loading...
          Birthdate:
          You must be at least 13 to sign up.
          Gender:
          invalid

          By clicking the button below, I accept the terms of use and privacy policy

          Already Signed Up? Login Below.

          processing
          Here's what we're posting:

          *Only used for verification. We do not store your password.
          processing