IDs on tragic US sailors
Plane-crash rescue efforts end
The Navy on Saturday released the names of three sailors still missing after a transport plane crashed in the Philippine Sea.
Lt. Steven Combs and Seaman Apprentice Bryan Grosso, both of Florida, and Louisiana-born Seaman Matthew Chialastri were among the 11 crew members and passengers on the C-2A Greyhound transport plane when it went down Wednesday about 500 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa while en route to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
The plane’s other eight passengers were rescued.
The twin-prop plane crashed while the carrier was operating in the Philippine Sea during a joint exercise with Japan’s Mar- itime Self-Defense Force.
The crash’s cause is under investigation. Some early reports said the plane had engine trouble before it went down.
The Navy called off search-and-rescue efforts on Friday morning, saying US and Japanese ships and aircraft covered nearly 1,000 square nautical miles over two days.
The Reagan had been leading the search effort, joined by eight US Navy and Japan Maritime SelfDefense Force ships, three helicopter squadrons and maritime patrol aircraft.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these sailors,” said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander of US 7th Fleet, on Saturday. “Their service and sacrifice will be lasting in 7th Fleet, and we will continue to stand the watch for them, as they did bravely for all of us.”
Combs was assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30. His previous duty assignments included the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120, the Center for Security Forces Detachment Kittery Point in Portsmouth, NH, and Training Wing 4, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Chialastri, an aviation boatswains mate, was previously assigned to the USS America, Patrol Squadron Thirty, the “Pro’s Nest,” in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Center for Security Forces Detachment Kittery Point.
Grosso, an aviation ordinanceman, was previously stationed at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Florida.