DoD Identifies Marine and Air Force Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight Marines and two airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. All 10 died February 17, 2006, when two CH-53 helicopters crashed into the Gulf of Aden in the vicinity of Ras Siyyan, northern Djibouti, while flying a training mission in the Godoria Range area.  The Marines and airmen were deployed to Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

The Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, Marine Air Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, New River, North Carolina.

First Lieutenant Brandon R. Dronet, 33, of Erath, Louisiana
Sergeant James F. Fordyce, 22, of Newton Square, Pennsylvania
Lance Corporal Samuel W. Large, Jr., 21, of Villa Rica, Georgia
Sergeant Donnie Leo F. Levens, 25, of Long Beach, Mississippi
     Corproal Matthieu Marcellus, 31, of Gainesville, Florida
Sergeant Jonathan E. McColley, 23, of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Lance Corporal Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, of Ogdensburg, New York
Captain Bryan D. Willard, 33, of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania

The airmen were:

Senior Airman Aecia S. Good, 23, of Broadview Heights, Ohio. Good was assigned to the 92nd  Communications Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington

Staff Sergeant Luis M. Melendez Sanchez, 33, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Sanchez was assigned to the 1st Communications Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

 Media with questions about these Marines can contact the Marine Corps Air Station New River Public Affairs Office at 910-449-5435.

For further information about the airmen, contact the Langley Public Affairs Office at (757) 764-5411 or the Fairchild Public Affairs Office at: (509) 247-4051.

Captain Bryan D. Willard will be remembered for the many lives he touched and for his generous spirit and wisdom that belied his 33 years.

Willard, of Enola, Pennsylvania, seven other Marines and two Air Force airmen were killed February 17, 2006, when two CH-53 helicopters crashed into the Gulf of Aden in northern Djibouti, Africa, during a training mission in support of operations in Afghanistan.

Shannon Willard, center, grips the folded U.S. flag presented to her at her husband's funeral at
Arlington National Cemetery. Marine Captain Bryan Douglas Willard, killed off an African coast 
last month, was an avid outdoorsman and remembered as a spirited friend and a mentor to young people.

 Yesterday, more than 50 mourners gathered under a cloudless blue sky to honor Willard as he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

A horse-drawn carriage carried Willard's flag-draped coffin in a procession. Strong winds tossed leaves across the grounds as a Marine band played taps.

Willard -- who is survived by his wife, Shannon; his father, David Willard; his stepmother, Sherry Willard; and his brother, Bradley Willard -- was the 32nd person killed in the Afghanistan conflict to be buried at Arlington, according to cemetery officials.

According to the Department of Defense, the other Marines killed in the accident were Lieutenant Brandon R. Dronet, 33, of Erath, Louisiana; Sergeant James F. Fordyce, 22, of Newton Square, Pennsylvania; Lance Corporal Samuel W. Large Jr., 21, of Villa Rica, Georgia; Sergeant Donnie Leo F. Levens, 25, of Long Beach, Mississippi; Corporal Matthieu Marcellus, 31, of Gainesville, Florida; Sergeant Jonathan E. McColley, 23, of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Lance Corporal Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, of Ogdensburg, New York.

The Air Force members killed were Senior Airman Alecia S. Good, 23, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Staff Sergeant Luis M. Melendez Sanchez, 33, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

On Thursday, about 150 people filled a Methodist church in New Kingstown, Pennsylvania, to remember Willard, who was known for his caring heart and infectious laugh.

"Willy," as he was known to friends, was an avid outdoorsman. He had been a Boy Scout as a child, and as a student at East Pennsboro Area High School in Enola, he was a hunter, wrestler and football player.

"He was a team player, with a tremendous amount of heart and spirit," said Craig Robbins, his assistant football coach.

During a recent visit to the school, Willard gave a pep talk to the football team during halftime. The team was losing.

The encouraging words were typical, recalled coach Jason Estright, a childhood friend. "He always had a smile on his face," Estright said. "He could take any bad situation and make you laugh."

A picture in the high school's display case honors the Marine and his service.

Willard graduated from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and completed studies in mortuary science from Northampton Community College. He had been a funeral director with Jesse H. Geigle Funeral Home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Friends said he found his military calling later in life, after speaking with a recruiter on an Armed Forces Day. He was assigned to the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, Marine Air Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at New River, North Carolina.

He met his wife while attending flight school in Florida, and they married three years ago.

"Every time I talked to him, he would tell me about all the really interesting people and experiences that he was having," said Todd Bedard, Willard's childhood friend who last spoke with him in September after Willard's second tour in Iraq. "He loved his wife deeply and always talked about how good she was to him."

Several friends who attended yesterday's service said they considered Willard a humble hero, even before his deployment. "I take a lot of what I do in this world from Bryan's example," Bedard said. "So many people loved him because he respected people so much."

The casket of U.S. Marines Captain Bryan Willard is carried on a caisson, during a full honors funeral 
ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, March 3, 2006

Honor guards raise the casket of U.S. Marines Captain Bryan Willard 
 during a full honors funeral ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, March 3, 2006.

The widow of U.S. Marines Captain Bryan Willard, Shannon Willard, left, cries and hugs the flag 
that draped her husband's coffin, during a funeral ceremony at Arlington National 
Cemetery, Friday, March 3, 2006

The widow of U.S. Marines Captain Bryan Willard., Shannon Willard, 
second left, looks at her husband's coffin as Taps is played, during a funeral ceremony at 
Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, March 3, 2006

Photos & Flower Courtesy of Holly, March-April 2006

WILLARD, BRYAN DOUGLAS
CAPT   US MARINE CORPS
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/17/1972
DATE OF DEATH: 02/17/2006
BURIED AT: SECTION 60  SITE 8320
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

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