The U.S.-Japan Friendship Memorial, unveiled Nov. 29, 2024, on Yakushima Island’s Tashiro Beach, overlooks the waters where a CV-22 Osprey went down a year earlier. (Alexis Redin/U.S. Air Force)
Family members, comrades and locals gathered recently to dedicate a memorial to eight U.S. airmen who perished a year ago when their CV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of southern Japan.
The U.S.-Japan Friendship Memorial, unveiled Nov. 29 on Yakushima Island’s Tashiro Beach, overlooks waters where the Osprey went down on Nov. 29, 2023.
The monument, composed of three large stones, bears the images and names of the fallen airmen, along with inscriptions in Japanese and English offering comfort to their spirits, according to a Yakushima disaster prevention official. Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
The crash prompted an extensive search-and-recovery effort and led to the grounding of the U.S. military’s fleet of about 400 Ospreys from Dec. 6, 2023, to March 8, while investigators worked to determine the cause.
Family members, comrades and locals gathered recently to dedicate a memorial to eight U.S. airmen who perished a year ago when their CV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of southern Japan. (Alexis Redin/U.S. Air Force)
Family members of two of the fallen — Maj. Terrell Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, N.Y., and Staff Sgt. Jake Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Ga. — attended the dedication ceremony at Yakushima Town Hall. Col. Shawn Young, commander of the 353rd Special Operations Wing, addressed them.
“We are so very honored by you being here as we honor your loved ones and commission this lasting monument to their memory,” she said, according to remarks provided by the Air Force.
The Osprey — call sign Gundam 22 — was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo. It crashed about 1 ½ miles off Yakushima’s coast.
Young called on those at the ceremony to remember the families of the other fallen crew members:
• Maj. Jeffrey Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minn.
• Maj. Luke Unrath, 34, of Riverside, Calif.
• Maj. Eric Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah
• Tech. Sgt. Zachary Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Fla.
• Staff Sgt. Jacob “Jake” Galliher, 24, of Pittsfield, Mass.
• Senior Airman Brian Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
They are all still mourned, Young said.
“In the minutes, hours, days and weeks that followed, teams from five military branches, alongside our Japanese allies, supported intense search, rescue, and recovery operations,” she said.
More than 1,000 military and law enforcement personnel, joined by about 100 local civilians, carried out a 43-day search for the airmen.
“The people of Yakushima were right there with us, every step of the way,” Young said. “Just minutes after the crash, fishermen from Anbo port recovered and respectfully stood vigil over the remains of Sergeant Jake Galliher.”
During the search-and-recovery effort, Yakushima town officials provided space for a command center and advocated for transporting crucial equipment. Local police secured the area, and fishermen’s families prepared home-cooked meals for airmen during the holidays.
“My hope is that this (memorial) can now be a place of healing for two communities — American and Japanese together — who experienced and endured this loss not just as allies, but as family,” Young said.
Following the ceremony, attendees placed flowers at the memorial and offered prayers, according to a Yakushima town official.
Yakushima Mayor Koji Araki, speaking to reporters before the ceremony, said he hopes Ospreys avoid flying near the island. However, if they do, he urged strict safety measures to prevent another tragedy.
