WASHINGTON — The U.S. Marine Corps has identified the four Marines who died when their Osprey aircraft crashed Friday night in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise.
The exercise is unrelated to Russia's war in Ukraine, authorities said Saturday.
The men, all assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing stationed on Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, were identified as:
- Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
- Capt. Ross A. Reynolds, 27, of Leominster, Massachusetts.
- Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30, of Cambridge, Ohio.
- Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb release this statement about the death of Cpl. Tomkiewicz:
“Janet and I send our sincere condolences to Captain Matthew Tomkiewicz's family and friends, especially in the tough days ahead. We ask all Hoosiers to surround the family with love and never-ending appreciation for all Captain Tomkiewicz gave to our state and nation.”
In a statement issued Sunday night, a Marine Corps spokesman said the bodies were removed from the crash site and were in the process of being returned to the U.S.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation, but Norwegian police reported bad weather in the area.
Officials in Norway said the MV-22B Osprey crashed in Graetaedalen in Beiarn, south of Bodoe.
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