Dead Sailor Had Just Returned From War Zone

A 24-year-old sailor survived the Persian Gulf War only to die during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton 2 1/2 weeks after returning to the U.S.

The Navy identified the dead man as Anthony K. Thompson, 24, of Camden, Ark. He and a fellow sailor were washed out to sea as they attempted to cross the rain-swollen Santa Margarita River Wednesday night.

Thompson’s body was found Thursday on a nearby beach; the other man, who was not identified, is still missing.

Thompson and six other members of a beachmasters unit were attempting to cross the mouth of the river about 10:15 p.m. when the two Humvees in which they were riding became trapped in the wet sand.

Four men in one Humvee--a relatively new jeep-like military vehicle--were able to scramble to the roof and make it safely to shore. The three others were trapped atop the second Humvee for about half an hour, until a surge of water knocked them off. One man made it back to shore, but Thompson and the third sailor were swept to sea in the river.

Thompson’s body was found Thursday afternoon at the southwest corner of Camp Pendleton at Del Mar Beach.

He had been in the Navy for a year and a half and had previously had served in the Arkansas Army National Guard. The Navy said he returned to the U.S. from the Persian Gulf on March 10.

The river had exceeded its normal water level because of recent rains and had grown unusually rough, Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Smallwood said.

“It just kind of caught them by surprise,” Smallwood said. “They are very familiar with that area. The river is usually just a trickle. But they were operating at night and couldn’t tell it was so high.”