Posted on 10/05/2014 6:42:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A Marine lost at sea after bailing out of a MV-22 Osprey when it appeared it might crash in the Persian Gulf is believed to be the first American military casualty in support of U.S. operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Cpl. Jordan L. Spears, 21, was declared dead after search and rescue efforts to locate him were unsuccessful, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement released Saturday.
Asked how Spears death will be classified, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters the question was still being decided.
"Clearly, that squadron and that ship were in the Gulf, supporting Central Command operations. Some of those operations included operations in Iraq and Syria, at least tangentially, through at least some tangential way, support to those missions," Kirby said, according to a transcript.
"So there's no question that -- that this Marine's death is related to the operations that are going on, in some form or fashion."
Even so, he said he did not know whether the Marine's death would be formally classified as such. The branch of service typically determines how a service member's death is classified.
The military has not detailed the Osprey's mission at the time of the incident, which remains under investigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Wouldn't be surprised if they declare him AWOL. That way, Obama won't be blamed.
Just boots over the water.
I’ll classify it for you:
He died saving Muslims from other Muslims
two less boots not on the ground
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.