The members of Japanese Coast Guard bring the particles which are thought to be from the crashed U.S. military Osprey airplane, at a port in Yakushima, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. Kyodo News through AP
By TARA COPP and MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press
December 6, 2023|9:03 AM
WASHINGTON (AP)– Air Force Special Operations Command has announced that it has recovered the remains of 6 of the 8 service members who were lost when their Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan last week and is now focused on recovering the 2 bodies still missing and the airplane debris.
The CV-22B Osprey crashed on Nov. 29 during a training mission. Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest has revived safety concerns.
3 bodies were recovered from the sunken wreckage, and a total of 6 of the 8 team members’ remains that had lain have now been recovered, the Air Force stated. The search continues for the remains of the 2 team members still unaccounted for, it added.
“The depth of sadness is limitless,” Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, who heads Air Force Special Operations Command, said in a statement announcing the names of the team. “The honorable service of these 8 airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history.”
President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were heartbroken by the loss.
“We owe them everything,” Biden said in a statement. “Jill and I are praying for the friends and families who lost a loved one in this terrible accident.”
The lost team members were:
- U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was a CV-22 trainer pilot and officer in charge of training, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
- U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight leader assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
- U.S. Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, was a CV-22 pilot and flight leader assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
- U.S. Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, was a CV-22 pilot and flight leader assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
- U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E.
