U.S. Marines with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, offload MV-22 Ospreys prior to Exercise Cold Response 2022 at Bodø, Norway, Feb. 19. File Photo by Capt. Katrina Herrera/U.S. Marine Corps/DVIDS
March 20 (UPI) — The United States on Sunday identified the four Marines who were killed Friday during a training flight in Norway. The four Marines were identified in a press release as Ghost 31 crewmembers Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Capt. Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster, Mass.; Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy of Cambridge, Ohio; and Cpl. Jacob M. Moore of Catlettsburg, Ky.
“These Marines were simply doing what they loved to do, and we must — we will — keep these warriors and their selfless example of service in the forefront of our minds,” Maj. Gen. Michael Cederholm, commanding general of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said in a statement published to the unit’s Facebook page. “So, in a manner just like the crew of Ghost 31 would do, we honor them by taking to the skies again with their memory in our hearts, with nerves of steel and ready to answer our great nation’s call.”
The four Marines aboard a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey went missing south of Bodø at around 6:29 p.m. Friday. The aircraft was found crashed at about 9:17 p.m. near Gratadalen, a valley some 31 miles away from Bodø by air.
The Marines were in Norway participating in Cold Response 22, a regular exercise biannually held by the Scandinavian country.
The Marine Corps said it assisted with the Norwegian-led recovery effort and that the deceased were successfully removed from the crash site and are in the process of being reunited with their families, which is to be conducted through dignified transfer in the coming days.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, it said.
