Photo courtesy of The Marine Corps League
Bill Burk, Commandant of the Nighthawk 72 Marana Detachment #1344 Marine Corps League, announced today that the 20th Anniversary Memorial Service will only consist of a 5-plane missing man formation flyover at the Marana Regional Airport on Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 10:00AM to honor the 19 U.S. Marines that were tragically killed in an MV-22 Osprey Tilt rotor aircraft accident at the Airport on April 8, 2000.
The flyover will be performed by the Arizona Scorpions Formation Flying Team. It will arrive from the Northwest flying down Avra Valley Road toward the Memorial site, head in a Southeasterly direction at 10 AM. The "Missing Man" airplane will depart the formation over the Memorial site and fly off to the West.
Maintaining social distancing, attendees are invited to participate by viewing the flyover from their vehicles in the parking lot of the airport and the Nighthawk-72 Memorial Site.
Gary Goebel will close the pre-flight briefing by reading a short poem and the names of the fallen 19 Marines. He will then dedicate the flight to the memory of the fallen Marines.
The event is free and open to the public.
The Missing Man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flypast of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, in memory of a specific fallen pilot or veteran, or more generally for all the fallen. The aircraft pulling up and out of the formation represents the fallen comrade(s), the formation continuing with the empty spot represents the empty place in our hearts. The AZ Scorpion Flying group often performs this salute.
"Bought the Farm," or "Going West" have been pilot euphemisms since WWI for a pilot dying in combat or a crash, so the missing man generally turns to the West.
The formation most commonly used in the United States is based on the “finger-four” aircraft formation of WWII, and the "ring finger" aircraft does the pull-up, but more aircraft or as few as three can also be used as long as there is a pull-up, and an empty spot remaining.
An example of this salute can be seen on the Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery website here.
Additional Background Information The MV-22 Osprey Tilt rotor aircraft was conducting a training mission in support of Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) when it went down at the Marana Regional Airport in Marana, Arizona on April 8, 2000. During the mission, the crew and Marines conducted Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) exercises as part of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, with Marines embarking and disembarking the aircraft. The mission was conducted at night utilizing night vision goggles and forward looking infrared radar to enhance night operational capability. This mishap aircraft was part of the Multiservice Operational Test Team, based at Patuxent River, Maryland, but was temporarily attached to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona.
The 19 Marines Lost were as follows:
3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division
Sgt. Jose Alvarez, 28, Pfc. Gabriel C. Clevenger, 21, Pfc. Alfred Corona, 23, Lance Cpl. Jason T. Duke, 28, Lance Cpl. Jesus Gonzalez Sanchez, 27, Lance Cpl. Seth G. Jones, 18, 2nd Lt. Clayton J. Kennedy, 24, Lance Cpl. Jorge A. Morin, 21, Cpl. Adam C. Neely, 22, Pfc. Kenneth O. Paddio, 23, Pfc. George P. Santos, 24, Lance Cpl. Keoki P. Santos, 24, Cpl. Can Soler, 21, Pvt. Adam L. Tatro, 19.
Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38, Marine Air Control Group 38
Cpl. Eric J. Martinez, 21.
Marine Helicopter Squadron 1
Maj. John A. Brow, 39, Maj. Brooks S. Gruber, 34, Cpl. Kelly S. Keith, 22.
Marine Tilt-Rotor Training Squadron 204
Staff Sgt. William B. Nelson, 30.
Additional information contact:
Terry Byron (520) 982-0023
Nighthawk72mcl@hotmail.com
www.Nighthawk72mcl.org
