Marines will march through Beaufort during hike for helicopter crash victims
A group of elite Marines marching for comrades killed in a helicopter crash last year will travel through Beaufort next week.
Fourteen Marine Raiders will begin the march Friday from Navarre, Fla., where an Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a training mission on March 10, 2015. The crash killed seven Marine Raiders and four Army National Guardsmen.
“All of these men were warriors; some of them were my students and some were my friends,” Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam Kinosh, who will participate in the march, said in a news release. “All of them were brothers.
What would you do for your brothers and family?”
Seven teams will march from the crash site on a 770-mile trip through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina on their way to Camp Lejeune.
The Marines are expected to travel through the Beaufort area on March 16. They will switch teams at Technical College of the Lowcountry at 8 a.m., the U.S. Post Office on Trask Parkway in Lobeco at 11 a.m. and on the Ace Basin Parkway in green Pond at 2 p.m.
The times are subject to change.
During the 10-day trip, Marines will carry a 45-pound rucksack and a paddle recovered from the crash.
The Marine Special Operations Command last year was designated Marine Raiders, the name of the Marine command created during World War II during the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific. Those Raiders spearheaded amphibious landings and conducted high-speed, surprise raids behind enemy lines. After completing specialized training, each Raider received a paddle, a key piece of equipment for amphibious fighters. If killed in action, the Marine Raider's paddle was inscribed and presented to his family.
A private service remembering the victims was planned for Thursday.
Proceeds from the march will benefit the Brothers in Arms Foundation, a South Florida nonprofit.
The Marine Raiders killed were Capt. Stanford Shaw III, Master Sgt. Thomas Saunders, Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol, Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn, Staff Sgt. Kerry Kemp, Staff Sgt. Trevor Blaylock and Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif.
Marine Raider Memorial March
What: 10-day excursion from Florida to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to honor seven Marine Raiders killed in helicopter crash last year.
When: Begins Friday in Navarre, Fla. The Marines are expected to hike through the Beaufort area on March 16.
Online: www.marineraidermemorialmarch.com; www.facebook.com/marineraidermemorial; on Instagram and Twitter @RuckingRaiders
This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Marines will march through Beaufort during hike for helicopter crash victims."