DOD IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 6 Dec 2006:
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1243-06
December 06, 2006

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DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Maj. Joseph T. McCloud, 39, of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.

Cpl. Joshua C. Sticklen, 24, of Virginia Beach, Va.

Both Marines died Dec. 3 when the CH-46 helicopter they were in crashed in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Local Marines first on crash site:
Local Marines first on crash site

Publish Date: 12/08/06


By Alison Walker-Baird
News-Post Staff

FREDERICK -- Local Marines deployed to Iraq helped rescue surviving passengers and recover service members' bodies Sunday after a helicopter crash-landed nearby, killing four U.S. troops.

Dam Support Unit 3, a reserve unit from Fort Detrick, is stationed near the Haditha Dam on the Euphrates River. A power malfunction forced the helicopter to make an emergency landing on Lake Qadisiyah, a reservoir behind the dam in the Al Anbar province.

Four boats of DSU-3 Marines responded immediately after the helicopter landed. None of the DSU-3 Marines were on board the helicopter, unit spokesman U.S. Marine Capt. Christian Devine said.

Marines involved described the water as rough, which makes recovery challenging, and extremely cold, he said.

Maj. Michael Stolzenburg, the unit's commanding officer, said he was proud his Marines' response and recovery efforts prevented more lives from being lost, according to Capt. Devine.

DSU-3 is part of Regimental Combat Team-7 in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and was previously designated Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. The unit deployed in October.

Most members are patrolling and securing Iraqi waterways throughout Haditha and the Euphrates River Valley. Some are conducting security operations in Ramadi in the Al Anbar province.

The CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was carrying 16 passengers when it landed. Twelve passengers survived.

The incident is under investigation, but officials said they do not believe the crash was the result of enemy action.

The helicopter began to lose power after lifting off from the dam. Passengers were evacuated from the back of the downed aircraft and the helicopter glided across the water and used a boat ramp to get onshore.

One Marine was pulled from the water after the crash, but efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, the military said.

The bodies of three service members were recovered Monday.

Pentagon officials have released the names of the service members whose bodies were recovered: U.S. Air Force Capt. Kermit Evans, 31, of Hollandale, Miss., who was assigned to a special forces unit from Fort Campbell, Ky.; U.S. Army Spc. Dustin M. Adkins, 22, of Finger, Tenn., who was assigned to a unit from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico; and U.S. Marine Maj. Joseph T. McCloud, 39, of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., and Cpl. Joshua C. Sticklen, 24, of Virginia Beach, Va., both assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

It is not clear whether Cpl. Sticklen or Maj. McCloud was the Marine pulled from the water Sunday.


The Associated Press contributed to this story.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sec...?storyid=54658
Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Sea Knight Helicopter Crash:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16035005/

Updated: 1:59 p.m. ET Dec 4, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Sea Knight helicopter carrying 16 Marines went down in a lake west of the Iraqi capital in Anbar, killing four of them in the volatile province where an Air Force fighter jet crashed last week, the military said Monday.

The twin-rotor CH-46 helicopter from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing made the emergency landing Sunday near the shore of Lake Qadisiyah “in which the pilots maintained control of the aircraft the entire time,” the military said.

It said the helicopter had experienced mechanical problems and was not hit by gunfire.
__________________
Wally "Bytes" Beddoe
POPASMOKE Webmaster
Submitted by Wally Beddoe, Popasmoke Webmaster

Helicopter Crash - Al Anbar Province:
4 Dec 2006 - Helicopter Crash - Anbar Province

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BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Marine helicopter carrying 16 people made an emergency landing in a lake in a volatile province west of Baghdad, killing one and leaving three missing, the military said Monday.

Twelve passengers survived the crash Sunday in Anbar province, according to a statement. The military said a Marine was pulled from the water but attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, while three other service members were listed as "duty status unknown."

The military said the incident did not appear to be due to enemy action but was still being investigated.
Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Maj Trane McCloud, USMC:

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jtmccloud.htm


Honolulu Star Bulletin

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. >> The father of an Kaneohe-based Marine said his son was among four killed yesterday when a helicopter made an emergency landing in a lake in Anbar, Iraq.

Maj. Trane McCloud, 39, was killed when a Sea Knight helicopter carrying 16 Marines went down, his father, Ron McCloud, told The Associated Press today.

Twelve passengers survived; a Marine was pulled from the water but attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The bodies of three missing Marines were found in a subsequent search, the military said.

Military officials said the helicopter had experienced mechanical problems and was not hit by gunfire. The names of the victims have not yet been released to the public.

“He was a fine young man, loved the Marines, and was the kind they (the Marines) look for,” Ron McCloud told the Elizabethton Star. “He was a real patriot.”

McCloud served almost 17 years with the Marines and began his tour in Iraq in September. Ron McCloud said his son has a wife and three children who live in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base.

The Marines died in Anbar — a province the size of North Carolina that stretches west from Baghdad to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — where many of Iraq’s Sunni Arab insurgent groups are based. A U.S. fighter jet crashed last week in a field in the region, killing the Air Force pilot.
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Honolulu Star Bulletin - 14 December 2006

Today, a wake was to be held in Alexandria, Va., for Kaneohe Marine Maj. Joseph Trane McCloud, of Wayne, Mich., who died Dec. 3 when the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter he was riding crashed into Lake Qadisiyah in Al Anbar province. McCloud would have been 40 today. Also killed in the crash was Cpl. Joshua Sticklen, 24, of Virginia Beach, Va. Both were assigned to Kaneohe Bay's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

Wade Hutchens, who was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity with McCloud and graduated with him from the University of Tennessee in 1989, said his friend's funeral will be held in Alexandria, Va., tomorrow, followed by burial in the afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.

"He gave his life so thousands all over the world could have a better one," Hutchens said by telephone from Asheville, N.C. "This Friday, he deservedly will join the greatest patriots America has ever known in the Arlington National Cemetery."

Hutchens said a trust fund has been established for McCloud's widow and the couple's three young children. Donations should be sent to the McCloud Family Fund, c/o Barnes & Sherry Financial Management, 713 Main St., Port Jefferson, N.Y. 11777.

Hutchens said checks should be made payable to Margaret McCloud, his widow. Anyone wishing their contribution to be specifically for the children's education fund should make checks to College America, he added.

Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Cpl Joshua Sticklen, USMC:

COLONIAL GROVE MEMORIAL PARK

Beach Marine riveted friends with stories of the military - Josh Sticklen
By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
December 14, 2006

VIRGINIA BEACH - Josh Sticklen was a high-energy, hardworking young man who was always quick with a smirk or a story about his latest exploits.

Friends called him "Stick" even when others began to call him "Corporal."

Sticklen enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2002 and became an intelligence specialist. Cpl. Josh Sticklen, 24, was killed Dec. 3 in a helicopter crash in Iraq.

On Wednesday, friends and family gathered at a funeral service at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base to say their goodbyes.

Sticklen is survived by family in Virginia Beach and his wife, Jennifer, of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The family declined to speak with reporters but issued an eight-page statement on Wednesday with recollections from friends and family.

According to the family, Sticklen graduated in 2000 from Salem High School, where he was a member of the Navy's junior ROTC program. He worked in food service and with a delivery company before he joined the Marines.

Sticklen was stationed in Hawaii with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. He served in Afghanistan this year before deploying to Iraq.

The helicopter Sticklen was riding in had a mechanical failure and crashed into a lake, according to the Department of Defense. Sticklen was one of four service members killed. Several others were injured.

Family members said more than 500 mourners paid their respects Tuesday evening at a Virginia Beach funeral home. His parents, wife and two sisters have spent hours on the phone with close friends from high school and the Marine Corps.

Dan Magistri, a high school friend, remembers listening to Sticklen's stories about his deployments and military life. His friend often wore a black leather jacket, jeans, a tight black T-shirt with a link-chain necklace.

He was seldom without his Marine Corps gear, recalled Magistri.

Magistri prayed for his friend during his deployments. Yet despite the dangers of war and personal unrest, he wrote, "when you look into Stick's face, you would never know he had a care in the world."
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Wednesday, Dec. 13th, 2006 one of America's finest from Virginia Beach, VA will be laid to rest, Cpl. Joshua C. Sticklen, USMC.

Cpl. Sticklen was featured in a 2004 Marine Corps magazine article in which he explained his role in creating terrain models, which give planners and commanders a realistic view of geographic areas. He was an intelligence specialist who enlisted in the Marine Corps Oct. 2002.

Sticklen’s awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Korean Defense Service Medal.

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The Sticklen family released a statement following their son's funeral service yesterday at the Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Va.

"We will remember Joshua as being a very loving, charismatic and caring young man. He was a devoted husband, a loving son/brother/uncle, and was proud to be a Marine and serving his country. We are all proud of his commitment to the Corps, his devoted service to his country and we are all extremely proud of his many accomplishments," the release said.

"Josh sacrificed his life by doing what he focused on his entire life ... helping others. Although we're positive he would have preferred to pass in the presence of his family and friends, we're sure he was comforted knowing he made the ultimate sacrifice with those he adored and respected ... his fellow Marines."

An intelligence specialist, Sticklen served a combat tour in Afghanistan before deploying to Iraq. He is survived by his wife Jennifer, who also served in the Marine Corps; mother, Maggie Sticklen; father Larry Sticklen; and sisters April and Tricia.

Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Capt Kermit O. Evans, USAF:

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/koevans.htm


12/5/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Capt. Kermit Evans, an Air Force civil engineer explosive ordnance flight commander, was killed as a result of a U.S. Marine helicopter emergency water landing Dec. 3.

Captain Evans was one of 16 people aboard the Marine CH-46 helicopter when it made an emergency water landing near the shore of Lake Qadisiyah in western Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Twelve people survived, while Captain Evans and three other servicemembers did not survive. The incident does not appear to be a result of enemy action and is currently under investigation.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Evans family as they grieve the tragic loss of this Airman warrior, husband, father, son and brother" said Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces. "Anytime we lose an Airman, our entire Air Force family feels the loss."

Captain Evans was from the 27th Civil Engineer Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and deployed to the 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group, a unit of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Base, Iraq.

Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Capt Evans and Family:

From Cannon AFB News
Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

Spc Dustin M. Adkins, US Army:

Tuesday, December 05 2006 @ 08:26 AM EST

Jackson Sun -- A 22-year-old Army special forces soldier from Finger was among four people killed Sunday when a helicopter made an emergency landing in Iraq, his family said Monday.

Spc. Dustin Adkins was killed in Haditha, Iraq - located in Anbar province - when the Chinook [CH-46E Sea Knight] helicopter went down in a lake, said Adkins' grandmother Mayrine Adkins, of Finger. A Department of Defense press release stated that Adkins was listed as missing following an emergency landing. But Mayrine Adkins said the family was notified about 3 p.m. Monday that his body had been found.

Mayrine Adkins said her grandson was one of two Army soldiers on the helicopter, along with several Marines.

The Associated Press reported Monday that a helicopter that went down in a lake in Anbar province unday was carrying 16 Marines. Twelve passengers survived, and the bodies of three missing Marines - including Maj. Trane McCloud, 39, of Elizabethton - were found in a subsequent search, the military told the AP. Military officials said the helicopter had experienced mechanical problems and was not hit by gunfire.

Dustin Adkins, a father of two, joined the military three years ago, according to his family. He was assigned to the Group Support Battalion of the 5th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

"He was in special forces," Mayrine Adkins said. "He was a dental assistant."

This was Adkins' second tour of duty in Iraq. He left in August and was scheduled to return home in seven months, or sometime around March, his grandmother said, but his tour had been extended.

Dustin's great-uncle Donnie Lynch said his nephew "was a really good kid.

"He never really got excited about anything," he said. "He had a calm nature about him, and he was good with kids" - even better with his own.

"He would fish with his kids sometimes, and was a computer nut," Mayrine Adkins said.

Dustin Adkins was married to Tiffany. They have two children - a boy, Matthew, 3, and a girl, Atlanta, 2. Adkins was the son of Richard Adkins and Karen Scudder, and had an older brother, Nicholas Adkins, and a sister, Crystal Webb.

"He was a real sweet person," his grandmother said. "He was always so concerned about helping me whenever he came to visit. He was always thinking of others."

Funeral arraignments are pending, awaiting the arrival of Adkins' body.

"The Army said his body will arrive in Maryland and then go to Memphis, then to Henderson," Mayrine Adkins said. Finger is located in northern McNairy County near the Chester County line.
Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

CH-46E Sea Knight:

Troops carrying heavy personal equipment while boarding a Sea Knight
Submitted by www.usmc.mil/marinelink, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association

CH-46E Sea Knight:

CH-46E Sea Knight similar to the one in this incident.
Submitted by www.usmc.mil/marinelink, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association