A U.S. Marine from California was identified by military officials Sunday as one of four people killed when a plane contracted by the U.S. military crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines.
Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, 22, of Long Beach, was taking part in a routine mission “providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” officials at Camp Pendleton, California, said in a statement.
“Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps — exemplifying composure, intelligence and selfless leadership," Lt. Col. Mabel B. Annunziata, commanding officer of 1st Radio Battalion, said in a statement. “He was deeply respected and loved by his fellow Marines.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to officials.
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Three defense contractors were also were killed in the crash.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines confirmed the crash of a light plane in Maguindanao del Sur province. The bodies of the four people were retrieved from the wreckage in Ampatuan town, said Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a safety officer of Maguindanao del Sur.
U.S. forces have been deployed in a Philippine military camp in the country’s south for decades to help provide training and advice to Filipino forces battling Muslim militants. The region is home to minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic nation.
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Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, told The Associated Press on Thursday that she received reports that residents saw smoke coming from the plane and heard an explosion before the aircraft plummeted to the ground less than a mile from a cluster of farmhouses.
Durham was trained as an electronic intelligence/electromagnetic warfare analyst and was assigned to 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, officials said. He joined the Marines in January 2021 and was promoted to his current rank on Feb. 1.
Durham's awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Meritorious Mast and Naval Aircrew Insignia, officials said.
