Those who died represented all Americans with courage and honor

[Boats]

Those who died represented all Americans with courage and honor
By NEWS & RECORD - Published: July 15, 2017
RE: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/thos...5#.WWuenNTyuM8

GREENSBORO, N.C. (Tribune News Service) — MARSOC may not be a familiar military acronym to most Americans.

Marine Raiders is a far more stirring name. It goes back to World War II and is associated with some of the most daring exploits in the Pacific theater.

The proud title was revived in 2015 and awarded to the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command — MARSOC — based at Camp Lejeune.

The elite unit — the Marines’ answer to the Navy SEALS and Army Rangers — was only established in 2006. But it’s been tested in some of the world’s toughest battlegrounds.

Danger can present itself anywhere, however. Monday, six Marine Raiders and one Navy corpsman from MARSOC were onboard the KC-130T that crashed into the Mississippi delta. Nine other Marines, all based in New York state, were on the flight. Everyone died.

The plane, which took off from the Marine air station at Cherry Point, was flying to California. From there, the Raiders would have traveled to southern Arizona for final training before deployment to “somewhere in the Middle East,” the military said — no doubt on a difficult mission that, if done well, none of us would have heard anything about.

Marines are tough. Raiders are their best. There are only 2,700. They can’t become Raiders until they’ve completed at least three years in the Marine Corps. Then applicants must complete several weeks of assessment. If they’re selected, nine months of mentally and physically rigorous training follows. The Individual Training Course motto is Latin, “vis gregis est lupus,” which means the strength of the pack is the wolf.

Thirty-one Raiders have been killed in combat since 2006, a spokesman told The Associated Press. Seven died in a helicopter crash during training off the coast of Florida in 2015. These losses are costly.

The Marines waited to identify Monday’s victims until 24 hours after their families were notified. MARSOC’s top priority was caring for those loved ones. That’s appropriate for such a closely knit organization.

As information was released, it became more clear about the high character of the men lost. Two examples: Staff Sgt. William Joseph Kundrat, 33, was an Eagle Scout before joining the Marines after finishing high school in 2002. He served in Iraq and had a wife and two children who live in Holly Ridge. Sgt. Joseph Murray, 26, was a musician known for singing Christian praise songs. His goal, his father said, was to “destroy evil on this earth.” He leaves a wife and four children, including twin 1-year-olds.

What caused the crash isn’t known. “Indications are something went wrong at cruise altitude,” Brig. Gen. Bradley S. James, commander of the 4th Marine Air Wing, said.

The C-130 and its variations have been reliable military workhorse aircraft for decades with an excellent safety record. It’s shocking that one could suddenly fall from the sky. Investigators will determine why. Our military men and women, who are deployed all over the world, must be transported safely.

“On board were 16 great Americans representing the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy,” James added.

They represented all Americans with courage and honor.