Service members involved in UH-60 crash identified

  • Published
  • By Eglin Air Force Base Public Affairs
It is with a heavy heart that the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Louisiana National Guard formally announced the names of the seven Marines and four Soldiers who died in an Army UH-60 Black Hawk crash near Eglin Air Force Base, at approximately 8:30 p.m., March 10.

They include:
Marine Capt. Stanford H. Shaw, III, 31, from Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Master Sgt. Thomas A. Saunders, 33, from Williamsburg, Virginia
Staff Sgt. Marcus S. Bawol, 26, from Warren, Michigan
Staff Sgt. Trevor P. Blaylock, 29, from Lake Orion, Michigan
Staff Sgt. Liam A. Flynn, 33, from Queens, New York
Staff Sgt. Kerry M. Kemp, 27, from Port Washington, Wisconsin
Staff Sgt. Andrew C. Seif, 26, from Holland, Michigan

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 George Wayne Griffin Jr, 37
Chief Warrant Officer 4 George David Strother, 44
Staff Sgt. Lance Bergeron, 40
Staff Sgt. Thomas Florich, 26

Recovery efforts for the UH-60 began March 13. Once the aircraft has been removed from the water, the recovery operations are expected to be turned over to a safety investigation board. The effort will be led by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center from Fort Rucker, Alabama.

(Information for this story was contributed by Eglin Air Force Base Public Affairs, Release Number: 050315; Capt. Barry J. Morris, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command; and the Louisiana National Guard)