Senior Airman Roque Ray Cruz Santos, 24, was found dead near a Guam beach on Nov. 24, 2024. (U.S. Air Force)
A U.S. airman who failed to return home from a fishing trip was found dead Sunday morning near a Guam beach, according to the Air Force.
Senior Airman Roque Ray Cruz Santos, 24, was reported overdue from his outing around 5 p.m. Saturday, sparking a search-and-rescue operation around Family Beach, about 2 miles north of Naval Base Guam, said 36th Wing spokesman Tech. Sgt. Eric Summers.
Searchers found Santos’ body at 7:53 a.m. Sunday, Summers told Stars and Stripes by email Monday.
Weather conditions in the area Saturday included a moderate risk of rip currents, winds between 10 and 20 mph and waves between three and five feet, according to the National Weather Service.
No further information, including a possible cause of death, was provided by the wing. The incident remains under investigation, Summers said.
“Roque was an integral part of the Team Andersen family,” the wing’s commander, Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske, said in a Sunday news release. “I want to extend my deepest condolences to Roque’s family during this difficult time.”
Santos, a fuels service center controller with the 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, first arrived on Guam in March 2022.
His performance quickly earned him recognition as a “standout performer,” the news release said.
At Andersen, Santos started out as a fuels facility technician but later moved up to a fuels service center controller position, where he managed 27 refueling technicians and completed more than 2,000 refueling operations.
His efforts contributed to his flight winning the 2022 Wing Large Team of the Year Award and being named the No. 1 Fuels Management Flight in Pacific Air Forces, according to the release.
“The entire 36th LRS team is in mourning over the loss of one of our own,” the squadron’s commander, Maj. Stephen Mouton, said in the release. “Roque was our brother, a beloved member of the team and always committed to serving with honor and integrity as a controller. We will continue supporting Roque’s family and legacy, and expressing our thoughts and prayers to them, his friends, and all of Team Andersen during this difficult time.”
