From: Deguzman Michael J
Subject: HM1 Jay J Asis, USN Batch 1992 Subic Bay
 

    Please post this message in your site to let friends
know that our good buddy Jay passed away during the chopper crash off San
Diego last December 1999.

    We will never forget you, Man    ----DeGuzmanMJ@oki10.med



note: 1992 Batch was the last year of US Navy recruitment directly from Subic Bay.  The US-Philippine agreement that gave right to the enlistment of Filipino National terminated with the closing of the base.

Remaining Bodies Found; Memorial Service Held

The remaining four bodies of seven servicemen lost at sea when their helicopter crashed off the San Diego coast were recovered Monday as their family and friends attended a memorial service.
 
 

     Using an unmanned submarine and a deep-sea salvage robot, the Navy located two Marines and a Navy corpsman Saturday and recovered four other Marines this morning, Lt. David Romley said.

     The men died when their twin-rotor CH-46E Sea Knight crashed 15 miles off the San Diego coast during training for a January deployment to the Persian Gulf.

     The helicopter had taken off from the USS Bonhomme Richard and was approaching the Navy tanker Pecos when it apparently got hung on a metal safety net and was pulled into the water.

     The 23,000-pound helicopter filled water and sank some 3,600 feet to the ocean floor. Eleven servicemen freed themselves and were rescued; the others went down with the helicopter.

     A private memorial service was held Monday at Camp Pendleton, where the Marines were based. The Navy corpsman was based at nearby Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

     Those who died in the crash were:

  • Gunnery Sgt. James Paige Jr., 37, a Marine air maintenance mechanic, Middlesex, N.J.
  • Staff Sgt. William C. Dame, 33, a Marine explosive ordnance disposal technician, San Diego
  • Petty Officer 1st Class Jay J. Asis, 33, a Navy corpsman, Oceanside, Calif.
  • Staff Sgt. David E. Galloway, 28, a reconnaissance Marine, Oregon City, Ore.
  • Staff Sgt. Vincent A. Sebasteanski, 34, a Marine infantry unit leader; Standish, Maine.
  • Staff Sgt. Jeffrey R. Starling, 27, a Marine field radio operator, South Daytona, Fla
  • Cpl. Mark M. Baca, 22, a reconnaissance Marine, Arvada, Colo.

  •      The bodies will be returned to shore by ship and taken to Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego for official identification, Romley said.

         The Marines haven't decided whether to raise the helicopter or to leave it on the ocean floor.

         Go to Camp Pendleton's website for more information