[xone]

During the 1980s, the fuselage of a USMC CH-53 was lifted relatively intact from the waters between mainland Japan and Okinawa to recover the bodies of the 20 or so Marines who died while making a logistics flight between MCAS Iwakuni and MCAS Futenma (sp).

Yep and the reason there were 20 was the other bird had the General's brass furniture. Didn't spread load the pax.

[Captain Rhino]

Crap! Sorry to learn that.

Toward the end of my 23 year career in the Marine Corps, I really did not like to ride in helicopters. I was hearing about way too many people I knew being involved in accidents or near accidents and, counting my own adventures in vertical take off and landing, I felt like a fugitive from the law of averages.

Service in the armed forces is dangerous enough even when you do everything correctly. But dying because of furniture; that just sucks.