Posted on 02/17/2006 3:25:21 PM PST by Mark
I'm not sure I understand your question. But Djibouti is the headquarters for the U.S.-led anti terrorism operation in the Horn of Africa, which mainly focuses on covert missions in Somalia as well as patrolling the waterways in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Terrorists frequently transport guns, missiles and explosives from Yemen to Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya and Tanzania.
Prayers up for your friend. There are several thousand U.S. servicemen based in Djoibouti, so I reckon there is a very good chance he is ok.
FALL CREEK, Wis. - One of two Marines rescued after a pair of military transport helicopters crashed off the eastern African coast is a pilot from Wisconsin, her family confirmed Saturday.
Susan Craig, 28, called her parents from Kuwait and said she was headed to a hospital in Germany, said her mother, Pat Sackett.
"She's bruised and swollen, and her arms and legs got hurt, but no broken bones," Sackett told the Leader-Telegram of Eau Claire. Sackett later confirmed the information to The Associated Press.
The two CH-53E choppers went down Friday in the Gulf of Aden, near the northern coastal town of Ras Siyyan in Djibouti. The U.S. military said Saturday it has accounted for 10 American troops who went missing after two transport helicopters crashed into the sea but declined to reveal their fate until family members were notified.
Sackett said her daughter wasn't sure what caused the crash.
"They had an inflatable around their neck that they inflated, and they hung onto a piece of the aircraft," the mother said. "It was three hours before they were rescued."
Craig told her mother she was rescued by Djiboutian military personnel.
The crash left her daughter "deeply saddened," Sackett said.
Craig's husband, Steve Craig, is a Marine pilot but stationed in Iraq, Sackett said. He learned of her rescue through e-mails, she said.
© 2006 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
Unfortunately confirmed.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 19, 2006
Release #06-02-05
CJTF-HOA CH-53 CREWMEMBERS CONFIRMED DEAD
CAMP LEMONIER, DJIBOUTI, AFRICA – The Department of Defense confirmed the deaths
of 10 CH-53E crewmembers as a result of the crash that occurred off the coast of northern Djibouti
Friday.
Next-of-kin notifications have been made to all family members of the deceased; however,
names are being withheld in deference to family members’ privacy.
Of the 10 deceased crewmembers, eight were United States Marines and two were Air Force
Airmen.
“Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt prayers go out to the family members, friends, loved
ones and co-workers of our fallen brothers- and sisters-in-arms,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Ghormley,
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa commanding general. “We mourn their loss and honor
their memory.”
I'm very sorry to hear this news. I had hoped they would survive the crash somehow.
The names:
The Pentagon said the Marines killed in the crash were:
• 1st Lt. Brandon R. Dronet, 33, of Erath, La.
• Sgt. James F. Fordyce, 22, of Newtown Square, Pa.
• Lance Cpl. Samuel W. Large, Jr., 21, of Villa Rica, Ga.
• Sgt. Donnie Leo F. Levens, 25, of Long Beach, Miss.
• Cpl. Matthieu Marcellus, 31, of Gainesville, Fla.
• Sgt. Jonathan E. McColley, 23, of Gettysburg, Pa.
• Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, of Ogdensburg, N.Y.
• Capt. Bryan D. Willard, 33, of Hummelstown, Pa.
Also killed in the crash were Senior Airman Alecia S. Good, 23, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, of the 92nd Communications Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.; and Staff Sgt. Luis M. Melendez Sanchez, 33, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, of the 1st Communications Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va.
"Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt prayers go out to the family members, friends, loved ones and co-workers of our fallen brothers- and sisters-in-arms," said Maj. Gen. Timothy Ghormley, commanding general of the counterterrorism force. "We mourn their loss and honor their memory."
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