Officials reported seven U.S. Marines were killed in a midair collision of two U.S. military helicopters on Thursday, along the Arizona-California border in the Chocolate Mountains. The Marine Corps reported that one Marine was from Yuma, Arizona, and the other six were based at Camp Pendleton, California. Col. Robert Kuckuk, the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Base Commander, reported that the deadly crash occurred during routine training operations on Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. EST.
The Marines who boarded the aircrafts, an AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter and a UH-1Y Huey utility chopper, were preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. The cause of the collision remains under investigation and authorities did not plan to release the names of the Marines until their families were notified. In a statement, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said, “This tragedy serves as another stark and sad reminder of the peril our men and women in uniform encounter on a daily basis — not only abroad, but on our own soil. It also reminds us that, whether in combat or training, no military mission is ever routine. We must never take for granted nor forget these soldiers’ sacrifice and service to the United States of America.”
