Sunken AAV Found, Military Working To Recover Remains Of Troops

CAMP PENDLETON, CA — A camera-equipped remotely operated submarine has found the amphibious assault vehicle that sank last week off the coast of Southern California, killing eight Marines and a Navy sailor, Marine Corps officials announced Tuesday.

The Navy's Undersea Rescue Command confirmed the presence of human remains aboard the sunken vehicle near San Clemente Island, officials said. The Navy "has expedited the movement of assets" to recover the bodies of the servicemen and raise the AAV, according to a statement from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

Fifteen Marines and one Navy sailor were aboard the vehicle, which began taking on water for unknown reasons around 5:45 p.m. Thursday near San Clemente Island, roughly 70 miles off the coast of San Diego, according to Marine officials. The 26-ton vessel sunk to a depth of about 385 feet during a shore-to-ship maneuver.

Seven members of the Camp Pendleton-based crew survived the accident. Medics took two of the Marines to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where both were admitted in critical condition. One was upgraded to stable condition as of Sunday night, officials said. The other five rescued Marines returned to their units.

Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Perez was a rifleman with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/4, 15th MEU.

A search ended over the weekend for the remaining seven Marines and Navy sailor who went missing after the accident. The eight lost service members were identified as:

• Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 18, of Corona in Riverside County, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California, a hospital corpsman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Oregon, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Oregon, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.
• Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.

Read more:

• Officials ID Marines, Sailor Presumed Dead In Training Accident
• CA Capitol Flags At Half-Staff In Honor Of Fallen Service Members