Locals react to military plane crash
A Marine Corps KC-130 refueling plane carrying 15 Marines and a fallen sailor crashed in a fireball in Mississippi on Monday.
The flight departed from a Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, North Carolina, and then the plane was supposed to drop them off in Yuma for training before flying on to a Naval Air Facility in El Centro. Jason Kodz from the American Legion Post 19 in Yuma says he was saddened when he first heard about the incident. He says this crash is the biggest one our military has seen since 2005.
“It is a tragedy that this loss of life has happened in this accident. Fortunately, we do have the men of our military, our Air Force, our Marines, our Navy, our Coast Guard doing all they can to protect us. But it’s up to us to remember that sacrifice that they’re making. We need to be there for them not just as American Legion members but as American citizens. Nobody can replace these fallen heroes especially in the eyes of there families. We can be shoulder’s to cry on, we can offer assistance, educational experience, maybe burial [expenses] and assurance that their loved ones sacrifice won’t be forgotten. God bless their families,” says Jason Kodz from the American Legion H.H. Donkersley Post #19.
A commanding officer from MCAS Yuma on behalf of the air station shared a statement with News 11 expressing their deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the aircraft mishap in Mississippi.
“On behalf of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the aircraft mishap in Mississippi. The families of our 16 fallen service members will be in our thoughts and prayers,” says Col. David Suggs, Commanding Officer MCAS Yuma.
The families of two of the Marines killed in the plane crash have identified their loved ones as victims of the tragedy. Our sister stations spoke with the family of 31-year-old Staff Sergeant Joshua Michael Snowden and 47-year-old Gunnery Sergeant Brendan Johnson. We reached out to the Marine Forces Reserve, they have yet to release the names of all the fallen crew members.
