LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer Friday, May 23, 2003
(05-23) 05:56 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --
A Marine captain with a passion for flying and a lance corporal with dreams of becoming a Camp Pendleton instructor were among a group of Marines who died when a transport helicopter crashed in central Iraq.
Andrew David La Mont, 31, of Eureka was one of four Marines killed on a resupply mission Monday when their CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter went down into a canal shortly after takeoff in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. A fifth Marine drowned trying to save them.
Lance Cpl. Jason William Moore, 21, of San Marcos was also killed in the crash.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
"(Andrew) died doing what he loved," La Mont's brother Thomas said. "There were many facets to Andrew, but flying was his one big love," Thomas La Mont said in a telephone interview after the Pentagon identified crash victims Thursday. "He was there because he wanted to be doing what he was doing. We are all very proud of his service to the country, our country."
La Mont was born at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland where his father, James, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was stationed. Of the family's nine children, he was the only one to follow their father's path into the military.
"He was the baby of the family, literally," said La Mont, who is seven years older than his brother but closest to him in age.
La Mont served in Kosovo and was part of the helicopter detail that flew the first Marines into Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The La Mont family has two other members serving in the Middle East, including Andrew La Mont's nephew, Christopher, who was scheduled to return home from Iraq on Friday.
On April 3, as U.S. forces prepared to enter Baghdad for the final stages of the war, KGO-AM in San Francisco broadcast a live radio interview with La Mont before he flew to Baghdad to help evacuate injured troops.
"Hello to everyone in Eureka, California," he said. "I look forward to coming back."
Friends of Moore described the young Marine as always gung-ho. "He was the only person who complained when boot camp was over because he wanted more," longtime friend Josh Wagner told the San Diego Union Tribune in an article published Friday.
Moore's sister Michelle said she last spoke to her brother May 16. He was excited about the possibility of becoming a crew chief at Camp Pendleton, she said. "He promised me that he'd be back. He promised that nothing would happen to him."
Also killed were 1st
Lt. Timothy Louis Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill. and Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean
White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla. Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Beaver
Dam, Wis. died trying to rescue the crew. All the servicemen who died
were based at Camp Pendleton before their units were sent to Iraq.
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Copter crashed in canal in Iraq
By Jeanette Steele
Dana Littlefield and Michael Burge
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
May 23, 2003
Jason William Moore gave it everything – whether it was in the San
Marcos High School team swimming pool, on his boogie board at the beach
or at Marine Corps boot camp.
The 21-year-old San Marcos resident now has given his life for his nation's flag, along with three other Camp Pendleton Marines killed when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed into a canal in Iraq on Monday.
The Pentagon yesterday identified the dead as Moore, a lance corporal; Capt. Andrew David La Mont, 31, of Eureka; 1st Lt. Timothy Louis Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill.; and Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla.
Moore "was gung-ho. He was the only person who complained when boot camp was over because he wanted more," said Josh Wagner, a friend from adolescence.
"He was an awesome guy, very honorable," said Sam Scolamieri, another longtime friend. "The way he was hard-core about the Marines, that's the way it was about his friendships. That's the kind of guy he was, real stand-up."
Another Camp Pendleton Marine died trying to rescue the four-member helicopter crew. Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, of Beaver Dam, Wis., a 23-year-old infantryman who was on the canal bank, was identified by the Pentagon on Wednesday.
The craft went down soon after leaving on a resupply mission from Al Hillah, south of Baghdad. There was no sign of enemy fire, military officials said, though the incident remains under investigation.
Moore came from a tightknit military family. Their last conversation came last Friday, when Jason called.
He was busy getting ready to return home and was excited about possibly becoming a crew chief instructor at Camp Pendleton, said his sister, Michelle Moore.
"I just feel bad that I didn't get to tell him he was going to be an uncle," said Moore, 22. "He promised me that he'd be back. He promised that nothing would happen to him."
Known as a person who kept close friendships, Moore stayed in contact with his high school history teacher after graduating in 2000.
"He was a diamond in the rough that just needed some polishing," teacher Jim Beason said. "I felt like I lost my own son.
"I know the parents raise them, but we (teachers) raise them, too," Beason said.
"Jason was a special guy. He was doing what he wanted and that's the good thing. I'm sorry for the family. I'm sorry for the world to lose a kid like this."
La Mont, one of the pilots, was the youngest of nine children and came from a family with strong ties to the military. His father and grandfather were career military men.
"He was a tremendous son and a fantastic Marine," his mother, Vivian La Mont, said while sitting on the front porch of her son's Oceanside home.
La Mont was single and had served with the Marines since graduating from San Diego State University in 1994.
He had intended to become a Marine military policeman, with an eye toward joining federal law enforcement some day, said his older brother, Christopher La Mont, of Eureka. But when a military placement test pointed him toward aviation, he never looked back.
La Mont served in Kosovo in 1999, and helped in the rescue effort after an earthquake in Turkey last year. He also served in Afghanistan, said his mother, who lost her eldest son to an airplane crash years before.
She called her youngest son an "exemplary, very exacting pilot" who spoke little about his work or his fellow Marines.
"It was just his way," she said. "He was an individual for sure."
The other pilot, Ryan, took an unlikely path to becoming a Marine officer.
He enlisted in 1997, just weeks after graduating from Illinois State University with a music degree.
He was chosen to play percussion in the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps – an elite 80-musician ensemble. Ryan soon discovered, however, that his true passion was for flying helicopters, said his mother, Judi, in North Aurora.
Ryan, who was married, graduated from the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and soon after got his wings.
"When he first told me he wanted to fly, I was dumbfounded," his mother told The Beacon News in Aurora. "It seemed so out of character for him. He was quiet and laid back and never really wanted to stand out too much."
But, she said, "I could tell that flying really made him happy . . . he loved it."
White grew up in a small town in rural Oklahoma, where he rode horses and learned to drive on back roads, said his mother, Karen White.
The family moved to a larger town, Shawnee, where White graduated from high school and soon afterward followed his heart into the military.
"I think he had the calling to serve. He had to serve somebody, serve our country, serve the people," said his mother. "He needed the challenge the Marine Corps would give him."
White is survived
by a wife and a small daughter, who just turned 1 over the weekend. They
are now in Texas with her parents.
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20030523-9999_1mi23fourdea.html
Crash victims' squadron named
Helicopter flown by 'Purple Foxes'
By Jeanette Steele
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 22, 2003
Four Camp Pendleton servicemen killed in a helicopter crash Monday in Iraq were part of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, the "Purple Foxes," a Marine official said, but their names still had not been released yesterday.
The Pentagon did confirm the name of the Camp Pendleton infantry sergeant who jumped into a canal in a doomed attempt to save the crew, whose helicopter had crashed in the water.
Kirk Allen Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam, Wis., drowned in the canal near Al Hillah, a city south of Baghdad where the Marines have a headquarters camp.
He was a rifleman with the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. Straseskie's family had previously announced his death.
The Pentagon also named a Camp Pendleton reservist killed Sunday in Iraq when the transport truck he was riding in rolled over.
Cpl. Douglas Jose Marencoreyes, 28, who was from Chino, was assigned to the Light Armored Vehicle-Air Defense Battery, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
The helicopter that crashed was a Marine CH-46 Sea Knight cargo aircraft, the second to be lost in the war effort.
A CH-46 from a different Camp Pendleton squadron crashed March 21 on the Iraq-Kuwait border, killing the four-person crew and eight British marines aboard.
Camp Pendleton air squadrons have lost four helicopters in the war and its aftermath. A UH-1N Huey crashed March 30, killing three crew members. A SuperCobra gunship went down April 4 and the two Marines aboard died.
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Memorial Thursday for Marines who died in Iraq copter crash
2:20 p.m., May 28, 2003
CAMP PENDLETON – Bereaved family and military colleagues will gather tomorrow to honor the lives and sacrifices of four U.S. Marines who died last week in a helicopter crash in Iraq.
A late-morning memorial service at Camp Pendleton will pay tribute to USMC Capt. Andrew Lamont, 31, of Eureka; Lance Cpl. Jason Moore, 21, of San Marcos; 1st Lt. Timothy Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill.; and Staff Sgt. Aaron White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla.
Lamont and Ryan were pilots, White was a crew chief and Moore was a flight mechanic.
The crew perished May 19 when their CH-46 Sea Knight plunged into a canal near Al Hillah shortly after takeoff during a resupply mission in support of civil military operations, according to the Department of Defense.
The crash remains under investigation.
Anyone wishing to give cards or flowers to the deceased servicemen's loved ones should send them to MAG-39 (Rear), HMM 364, Attn.: Chaplain, P.O. Box 555750, Camp Pendleton, CA 92055-5750.
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I Marine Expeditionary Force
FIVE REMEMBERED
 Click to enlarge |
CAMP BABYLON, Iraq - A memorial service was held May 24 at Camp Babylon for five Marines who died after a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed shortly after takeoff May 19 in the Shat Al Hillah Canal. |
Dead are: Capt. Andrew
D. Lamont, 32, San Diego; 1st Lt. Timothy L. Ryan, 30, St. Louis; Staff
Sgt. Aaron D. White, 27, Oklahoma City; Sgt. Kirk Allen Straseskie, 23,
of Beaver Dam, Wis.; Lance Cpl. Jason W. Moore, 21, San Diego.
"Some of you didn't know their names until two days ago," Lt.
Col. Alan Sanders, 3rd MAW liaison officer to the First Marine Expeditionary
Force, told those at the service, which included many who had participated
in the recovery effort. "Their friends aren't afraid of talking about
them. They're afraid of them not being remembered."
The helicopter and crew of four went down shortly before 4 p.m. while
conducting a re-supply mission in support of civil military operations.
Recovery efforts began immediately after the crash, both to recover the
deceased and to start an investigation into the cause of the incident.
"For us, the recovery has been a sad process because we lost four
of our squadron mates," said Maj. Phil Grathwol, executive officer,
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 364, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. "The
Seabees, Air Force jumpers and Army divers are true professionals, and
we couldn't have gotten them out without them."
First on the scene were Marines from B Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, including Straseskie, who entered the water in an attempt to rescue the crew. "I can only assume that he saw or heard (the helicopter) come down," said 2nd Lt. David Cedarleaf platoon commander, 3rd Platoon, B Co., 1st Bn, 4th Mar. "He was taking care of his Marines on that side (of the canal) with chow." |
 Click to enlarge |
Straseskie began
struggling in the water, unable to swim against the strong current.
"It was pretty damn strong," said 1st Lt. Dallas Shaw, executive
officer, B Co., 1st Bn, 4th Mar., "I've been in 14 years, did Force
Recon, combatant diving, and this was the strongest current I've ever
been in."
Cedarleaf and Shaw had entered the water from the eastern bank, while
Straseskie entered from the western bank.
"He was approaching the bird when we saw him," said Cedarleaf.
"I thought he was having trouble, so I diverted off and assisted
him."
Iraqis from the nearby town of Jumjumah saw the crash and the rescue attempt,
and gathered to deliver assistance.
Standing on the bank of the canal, still dripping wet from his efforts,
Mazen Mohammed al Shibli remembered jumping into the water after seeing
somebody struggling. "All people here tried to leave the water, (because
they) thought there was electricity in the water," said al Shibli.
"When they saw me jump in the water, they jumped after me."
Unable to reach the crew of the sunken helicopter, their attentions soon
turned to Straseskie.
 Click to enlarge |
"People
came here from the village to help save them," said al Shibli.
"We brought him over onto the bank." Senior Chief Petty Officer Richard Moriarity, Senior Medical Department Representative, 9th Communications Battalion, I MEF, arrived on the scene to see al Shibli and Cedarleaf giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the Marine. Straseski was taken to Shock Trauma Platoon 7 at Camp Babylon, where he was pronounced dead. |
Marines from the
First Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, and Navy Mobile Construction
Battalion 15, Task Force Charlie, I MEF Engineering Group, arrived to
assist in the recovery efforts.
"There was a lot of tension," said Cpl. Veronica Leyva, I MHG
administration chief, from Tucson, Ariz. "There were pretty late
nights where we were out until 10 or 11."
Other Iraqis continued to render assistance to the Marines at the scene,
using their boats to take lines out to the wreckage to secure it until
it could be removed.
"Some of them were working just as hard as we were," said Chief
Petty Officer Carl Carder, from Gallatin, Miss., commander of A Company,
NMCB-15. "They were just a part of the team. They knew we had a tragedy,
and they were giving us a hand."
The wreck was anchored to vehicles on shore, using ropes and cables taken
out to the craft by villagers from nearby Jumjumah, who provided boats
to aid in the rescue effort.
On May 20, Air Force parajumpers arrived, who did the initial survey using
scuba gear. Later came Army divers, who mapped the high points of the
waterway. They were joined by Seabee divers from Underwater Construction
Team 2, Task Force Charlie, and I MEG, who drove up from Ali Al Saleem
Air Base, Kuwait, to render assistance.
"We left at (2 a.m.), and got here at (2 p.m.)," said Senior
Chief John Green, UCT-2 master diver, from Alliance, Ohio. "You have
to watch from being overzealous. The divers were tired, so at midnight
I said we'd come back in the morning."
Using scuba equipment, Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Vollmer, an advanced
underwater construction technician with UCT-2, made his first dive on
the night of May 20. He came back with a gear bag, a 9mm pistol and an
M-16A2 service rifle.
"I talked to pilots, and they said (the crew was) right forward of
(where the gear bag was)," said Vollmer. "I was anxious to get
back down there."
The Seabee divers had brought surface air equipment with them, which enabled
them to stay under for longer periods of time than possible with scuba.
The next morning, May 21, Vollmer went in using the surface air equipment,
and recovered the crewmembers.
"It's a tragedy, but today was rewarding, because we were able to
send our comrade Marines home," said Carder.
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5/23/03
Chopper crash victims' names released
EDWARD SIFUENTES
Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON ---- Military officials Thursday released the names of four Camp Pendleton-based Marines who were killed during a helicopter crash in Iraq early this week. Also named was the Marine who died trying to save them.
The men killed were Capt. Andrew La Mont of Eureka, Calif.; 1st Lt. Timothy L. Ryan of Aurora, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Aaron D. White of Shawnee, Okla.; and Lance Cpl. Jason W. Moore of San Marcos.
They died when their CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter crashed Monday into a canal shortly after takeoff in central Iraq, officials said.
A fifth Marine, Sgt. Kirk Allen Straseskie of Beaver Dam, Wis., drowned trying to save them, military officials said.
In Eureka, the brother of La Mont said his parents are in Oceanside planning to attend a memorial service for the crew.
"I'm proud of him," said Christopher La Mont in a telephone interview. "I'm sad that he's gone. I'm going to miss him greatly."
His voice fading at times with grief, Christopher La Mont said the last time he saw his brother was in September, when he came to visit him in Oceanside.
"We visited him before he knew he was going (to Iraq)," he said. "But he's been in Afghanistan. He was doing what he loved."
Other families could not be reached for comment.
The helicopter was on a resupply mission Monday afternoon when it crashed in the Shat al-Hillah Canal in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, said U.S. Central Command officials in a prepared statement.
Two Marines on the canal's banks jumped into the water to help; one died trying. Iraqis and other Marines on the scene pulled the two from the water.
The cause of the crash was under investigation, although officials said it appeared to be an accident.
Capt. La Mont, 31, was single and had no children. He joined the Marine Corps on April 6, 1993. A helicopter pilot, he was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 at Camp Pendleton since August.
1st Lt. Ryan, a pilot, was married. Assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Ryan, 30, joined the Marine Corps on June 4, 1997.
Crew chief White was married. He was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 and had been stationed at Camp Pendleton since January 2002. The 27-year-old staff sergeant joined the Marine Corps on May 31, 1994.
Lance Cpl. Moore, of San Marcos, was an aircraft mechanic assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364. A single man, Moore, 21, joined the service Jan. 8, 2001.
Ten other local Marines have been killed in three separate helicopter crashes since the war with Iraq began March 20.
The Associated Press and staff writer Marty Graham contributed to this report.
Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-5426 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.
5/23/03
Friends,
family mourn Pendleton Marines
EDWARD SIFUENTES
Staff Writer
Two North County Marines with a passion for flying were among the four
who died in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Monday.
Lance Cpl. Jason W. Moore, 21, was a San Marcos High School graduate whom a teacher said was like a diamond in the rough. Capt. Andrew D. La Mont, 31, of Oceanside was a San Diego State University graduate whose mother called "thoughtful and kind."
"Andrew was very proud of being a Marine," said Vivian La Mont, Capt. La Mont's mother. "His loss is something that we'll have to deal with. There are some things you can't explain. You just have to accept it as God's will."
Military officials released the names of the four Camp Pendleton-based Marines on Thursday. They were Moore, La Mont, Timothy L. Ryan of Aurora, Ill., and Staff Sgt. Aaron D. White of Shawnee, Okla.
Vivian La Mont and her husband, James La Mont, traveled from Eureka to stay at the Oceanside home of their son. They are getting reacquainted with their son by living in his home and "feeling who he was," she said.
"He never talked about himself," she said. "Every time we would ask him what he was doing, he would say, 'same thing, different day.' "
La Mont, who was unmarried, was part of a military family. His father and grandfather were career servicemen.
The La Mont family has two other men serving in the Persian Gulf area, Christopher J. La Mont, Capt. La Mont's nephew, and Navy Cmdr. David Buckey, his cousin.
The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from a resupply mission in a town about 60 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq. Their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed into a canal.
Two other U.S. troops on the banks of the canal dived into the water to try to rescue the men, but were unsuccessful. One of the would-be rescuers, Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Wisconsin, drowned in the attempt.
The crew of the Sea Knight helicopter was comprised of members of the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, nicknamed the "Purple Foxes." Their families have started a Web site, http://www.purplefoxyladies.com, where they share information and support one another.
On the site's message board, people have posted dozens of comments expressing their condolences for the victims' families.
"This Memorial Day certainly is like no other for our family. The tearful prayers still flow for other Purple Fox families," one message read.
Jim Beason, a history teacher at San Marcos High School and a friend to Moore, called the crash a tragedy.
"We'll never see what kind of potential he could have reached," Beason said. "His death was like the loss of one of my kids. He was one of my kids."
Beason said Moore would often come to him for advice, and he visited him shortly before deploying to Iraq.
"We talked about what that part of the world would be like, and we spent two hours talking," he said. "When he left, it wasn't 'goodbye.' It was more like, 'see you later.' "
An aircraft mechanic, Moore was a good kid who struggled academically at times but got better during the four years in high school, Beason said.
"I got to watch him grow," he said. "I had an idea that he would join the Marines, because he always dreamed of flying and he loved planes."
La Mont shared Moore's love for flying. But La Mont had another career in mind, his family said.
While attending San Diego State University, where he studied criminal justice, he considered a career in the FBI or CIA. But he changed his mind when he took a service entrance exam and did so well that he qualified for pilot school.
"There were many facets to Andrew, but flying was his one big love," his brother Thomas La Mont said Thursday. "He was (in Iraq) because he wanted to be doing what he was doing. We are all very proud of his service to the country, our country."
The youngest of nine children, La Mont was born at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where his father, James, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was stationed.
"He was the baby of the family, literally," said Thomas La Mont, who is seven years older than his brother but closest to him in age.
Vivian La Mont said she also lost her oldest son in an airplane crash years earlier.
"Now I've lost my youngest and my oldest," she said.
A memorial service for those killed in the crash is being planned at Camp Pendleton.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact staff writer
Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-5426
Read this story at:
http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030524/55316.html
Mourning Marines reflect on an early Memorial Day
 |
Marines
in Babylon held a memorial service for five comrades killed this
week
|
Posted: 05/24/2003 04:33 pm
Memorial Day has an extra special meaning for troops still stationed overseas. Marines stationed near the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon held a memorial service today for five comrades killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week.
The helicopter crashed into a canal near Babylon, killing all four crewmembers on board. A fifth Marine jumped into the canal and attempted to save them, but was pulled under himself and drowned.
Witnesses say the helicopter crashed after hitting power lines near the canal. An investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
Captain David Romley
of the U.S. Marines says, “Many Marines have lost a lot of friends.
Many Marines will never forget their experiences in Iraq. So I think maybe
it has different meaning for the Marines this year."
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http://www.wndu.com/news/052003/news_20068.php
4 Marines killed in copter crash identified
CNS/Jeanette Steele, Dana Littlefield and Michael Burge; 05/23/2003
SAN DIEGO - Jason William Moore gave it everything - whether it was in the San Marcos High School team swimming pool, on his boogie board at the beach or at Marine Corps boot camp.
The 21-year-old San Marcos resident now has given his life for his nation's flag, along with three other Camp Pendleton Marines killed when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed into a canal in Iraq on Monday.
The Pentagon on Thursday identified the dead as Moore, a lance corporal; Capt. Andrew David La Mont, 31, of Eureka; 1st Lt. Timothy Louis Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill.; and Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla.
Moore "was gung-ho. He was the only person who complained when boot camp was over because he wanted more," said Josh Wagner, a friend from adolescence.
"He was an awesome guy, very honorable," said Sam Scolamieri, another longtime friend. "The way he was hard-core about the Marines, that's the way it was about his friendships. That's the kind of guy he was, real stand-up."
Another Camp Pendleton Marine died trying to rescue the four-member helicopter crew. Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, of Beaver Dam, Wis., a 23-year-old infantryman who was on the canal bank, was identified by the Pentagon on Wednesday.
The craft went down soon after leaving on a resupply mission from Al Hillah, south of Baghdad. There was no sign of enemy fire, military officials said, though the incident remains under investigation.
Moore came from a tightknit military family. Their last conversation came last Friday, when Jason called.
He was busy getting ready to return home and was excited about possibly becoming a crew chief instructor at Camp Pendleton, said his sister, Michelle Moore.
"I just feel bad that I didn't get to tell him he was going to be an uncle," said Moore, 22. "He promised me that he'd be back. He promised that nothing would happen to him."
Known as a person who kept close friendships, Moore stayed in contact with his high school history teacher after graduating in 2000.
"He was a diamond in the rough that just needed some polishing," teacher Jim Beason said. "I felt like I lost my own son.
"I know the parents raise them, but we (teachers) raise them, too," Beason said.
"Jason was a special guy. He was doing what he wanted and that's the good thing. I'm sorry for the family. I'm sorry for the world to lose a kid like this."
La Mont, one of the pilots, was the youngest of nine children and came from a family with strong ties to the military. His father and grandfather were career military men.
"He was a tremendous son and a fantastic Marine," his mother, Vivian La Mont, said while sitting on the front porch of her son's Oceanside home.
La Mont was single and had served with the Marines since graduating from San Diego State University in 1994.
He had intended to become a Marine military policeman, with an eye toward joining federal law enforcement some day, said his older brother, Christopher La Mont, of Eureka. But when a military placement test pointed him toward aviation, he never looked back.
La Mont served in Kosovo in 1999, and helped in the rescue effort after an earthquake in Turkey last year. He also served in Afghanistan, said his mother, who lost her eldest son to an airplane crash years before.
She called her youngest son an "exemplary, very exacting pilot" who spoke little about his work or his fellow Marines.
"It was just his way," she said. "He was an individual for sure."
The other pilot, Ryan, took an unlikely path to becoming a Marine officer.
He enlisted in 1997, just weeks after graduating from Illinois State University with a music degree.
He was chosen to play percussion in the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps - an elite 80-musician ensemble. Ryan soon discovered, however, that his true passion was for flying helicopters, said his mother, Judi, in North Aurora.
Ryan, who was married, graduated from the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and soon after got his wings.
"When he first told me he wanted to fly, I was dumbfounded," his mother
told The Beacon News ‚in Aurora. "It seemed so out of character for him. He was quiet and laid back and never really wanted to stand out too much."
But, she said, "I could tell that flying really made him happy ... he loved it."
White grew up in a small town in rural Oklahoma, where he rode horses and learned to drive on back roads, said his mother, Karen White.
The family moved to a larger town, Shawnee, where White graduated from high school and soon afterward followed his heart into the military.
"I think he had the calling to serve. He had to serve somebody, serve our country, serve the people," said his mother. "He needed the challenge the Marine Corps would give him."
White is survived
by a wife and a small daughter, who just turned 1 over the weekend. They
are now in Texas with her parents.
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