List of Marine Victims Is Released : Cause of Copter Crash Remains Puzzle

As authorities continued to search for clues to the cause of a military helicopter crash over the weekend in South Korea, officials released the names Tuesday of the 19 men who died in the fiery accident, most of them Marines from Camp Pendleton.

Investigators remain unsure what caused the CH--53D Sea Stallion to go down at 10:50 a.m. Sunday (PST) in a dry riverbed while preparing to drop off troops.

“We’re interested in finding a cause as quickly as we can,” said Capt. Laurie Pratt, a Marine spokeswoman in Washington. “But it’s very common that these investigations can take some time.”

Authorities at Camp Pendleton, meanwhile, were busy preparing for a Thursday-morning memorial service for the 16 Marines from the sprawling base north of Oceanside who died in the accident.

The dead also included the pilot and co-pilot of the Tustin-based helicopter and a Navy medical corpsman, whose identity was withheld pending notification of relatives.

Fifteen Marines survived the crash, two of them crewmen on the helicopter and the rest from Camp Pendleton. Nine of the survivors suffered serious injuries and were being treated at a U.S. military hospital in Seoul.

All of the Camp Pendleton Marines aboard the downed helicopter were from C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The battalion, more than 800 men strong, left Camp Pendleton last month for a six-month deployment in Japan.

The crash occurred during a joint military exercise involving more than 200,000 U.S. and South Korean troops. Dubbed Team Spirit, the exercise is an annual test for the two countries and is scheduled to end Thursday.

Authorities say witnesses reported that the troop transport helicopter fell to the ground with no collision with other aircraft or sign of engine trouble. Night goggles, which have been blamed for several recent military helicopter crashes, were not at issue because the accident occurred in daylight.

Copter in Crash Has Dubious Past

The Sea Stallion has had a troubled history of military use. In 1987, the entire fleet of more than 90 helicopters was grounded for about a month because of concerns about the craft’s air safety. Despite the latest crash of copter, which is manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Co. of Stratford, Conn., senior military officers have said they will not ground the aircraft.

Among the dead Marines are the pilot, Capt. Michael McGreevy, 27, of Monmouth, N.J., and the co-pilot, 1st Lt. David M. Pimple, 25, of Cochise, Ariz.

Camp Pendleton Marines who perished were identified as 1st Lt. Kevin M. Wooten, 27, of Bowie, Md.; 2nd Lt. Darren M. Bell, 23, of Tampa, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Jorge Verdugo, 27, of Nogales, Ariz.; Sgt. James D. Zinser, 30, of Portland, Ore.; Cpl. John A. Alafonso, 24, of Aztec, N.M.; Lance Cpl. Richard R. Anglin, 22, of Redlands, Calif.; Pfc. Saul D. Castro Jr., 18, of Lamont, Calif.; Pfc. Kurt R. Decker, 21, of Toledo, Ohio; Lance Cpl. Michael A. Depew, 20, of Red Lion, Pa.; Lance Cpl. Andrew A. Hernandez, 19, of Arnold, Md.; Lance Cpl. Ronald A. Johnson, 21, of Simi Valley, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Anthony P. Longstaff, 25, of Waldo, Wis.; Cpl. Brian K. McClusky, 22, of Brazil, Ind.; Lance Cpl. Wilbur S. McDaniel, 19, of Carthage, Tex.; Lance Cpl. Carl B. Ratcliff, 21, of Bluefield, W.Va., and Lance Cpl. Keith N. Silha, 22, of Onalaska, Wis.

The injured included helicopter crewmen Cpl. David W. Garlick, 22, of Connellsville, Pa. and Sgt. Timothy D. Sabel, 23, of Ripon, Wis.

Among the Camp Pendleton Marines injured were Lance Cpl. Rand C. Albert, 22, of Munhall, Pa.; Pvt. Todd A. Bernhardt, 18, of Evansville, Ind.; Pfc. Franklin E. Bray Jr., 18, of Lompoc, Calif.; Pfc. Lavinski R. Brown, 19, of Los Angeles; Lance Cpl. Ismael S. Gomez, 23, of Santa Ana; Lance Cpl. George S. Hagee, 20, of St. Louis; Pfc. Thomas T. Hannah, 19, of Knobnoster, Mo.; Lance Cpl. David L. Jenkins, 21, of Vista; Lance Cpl. Daniel E. Moody Jr., 21, of Grimesland, N.C.; Lance Cpl. Sam A. Pesuti, 22, of Phoenix; Cpl. Michael E. Scott, 20, of Garfield, Ark.; Lance Cpl. Arthur J. Stilwell, 22, of Granada Hills, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Thomas W. Woods, 23, of Southboro, Mass.