Airmen pay tribute to the fallen CV-22B Osprey aircrew during a retreat ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — More than 700 people gathered Thursday at this airlift hub for a memorial service and retreat ceremony honoring the crew of an Air Force CV-22B Osprey that crashed nearly three months ago in southern Japan, killing all aboard.
A 1 ½-hour memorial service began at 10 a.m. inside Yokota’s Taiyo Community Center to remember the eight fallen crewmembers of call sign Gundam 22.
“As we gathered today to honor the crew and families of Gundam 22, I was reminded of the profound bond that unites us all — not just as Airmen, but as a community of friends, family members, and local partners that extends beyond borders,” Col. Andrew Roddan, commander of Yokota’s 374th Airlift Wing, told Stars and Stripes by email that evening.
Stars and Stripes did not attend the service, honoring a request by the family of some fallen crewmembers that media not cover the event.
Service dress Thursday was the uniform of the day for the 21st Special Operations Squadron and 753rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, base spokesman Capt. Danny Rangel said by email ahead of the service.
No other details were provided by base spokespeople that evening.
The eight airmen killed in the crash of a CV-22B Osprey on Nov. 29, 2023. Top row, left to right: Maj. Jeffrey Hoernemann, Maj. Eric Spendlove, Maj. Luke Unrath and Capt. Terrell Brayman. Bottom: Tech Sgt. Zachary Lavoy, Staff Sgt. Jake Turnage, Senior Airman Brian Johnson and Staff Sgt. Jake Galliher. (U.S. Air Force)
Airmen pay tribute to the fallen CV-22B Osprey aircrew during a retreat ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
A half-hour before sunset, approximately 600 people, mostly airmen in uniform, gathered for a brief retreat ceremony on the athletic field outside Yokota’s Samurai Fitness Center.
The 5 p.m. assembly faced flags outside the wing headquarters building as the Japanese and U.S. national anthems, followed by taps, played across the base on the public address system.
The formations were dismissed, and the crowd walked off slowly and quietly.
“In honoring their memory, we recommit ourselves to the mission they served with such honor, ready to face the challenges ahead with the same resolve and spirit they showed,” Roddan wrote in his email. “Their sacrifice will forever be etched in the heart of Yokota and our entire Air Force family.”
The crew from Yokota’s 21st Special Operations Squadron — part of the 353rd Special Operations Wing headquartered at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa — perished Nov. 29 when their Osprey fell into the sea just off Yakushima, an island in southern Japan.
By Dec. 10, searches by U.S. and Japanese personnel had recovered the remains of seven airmen: Staff Sgt. Jake Galliher, 24, of Pittsfield, Mass.; Maj. Luke Unrath, 34, of Riverside, Calif.; Tech. Sgt. Zachary Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Fla.; Capt. Terrell Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Jake Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Ga.; Senior Airman Brian Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio; and Maj. Jeff Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minn.
The Air Force called off the search for the remaining crew member, Maj. Eric “Doc” Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, on Jan. 11.
A preliminary probe found that a material failure, not a crew error, led to the fatal crash. The Pentagon responded by grounding its entire Osprey fleet, about 400 aircraft across the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, pending further investigation results.
The Defense Department believes it has identified the mechanical failure that led to the crash, an unnamed U.S. defense official told The Associated Press last week. It is now weighing how the aircraft can be returned to service.
