12-05-2023 6:00pm

An Air Force major from Riverside among crew associates ID'd after being lost in Osprey collision in Japan

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

An Air Force Major from Riverside, Maj. Luke A. Unrath, was among the eight service members who were lost when their Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan last week. Maj. Unrath was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan, as per the Air Force Special Operations Command's statement on Tuesday.

The focus has now shifted to recovering all of their bodies and the aircraft debris. The CV-22B Osprey crashed on Nov. 29 during a training mission. Ospreys have had several crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident has rekindled safety concerns.

On Monday, the Air Force announced that six of the eight crew members' remains had been found. Three of those have been recovered. The two lost crew members were unlikely to have survived, and the search for their remains was continuing, the Air Force said Tuesday.

"The depth of sorrow is immeasurable," said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, who heads Air Force Special Operations Command, in a statement announcing the names of the crew. "The honorable service of these eight airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history."

The lost crew members also include:

- U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was a CV-22 instructor pilot and officer in charge of training, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

- U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a residency-trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.

- U.S. Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

- U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida, was a medical operations flight chief assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.

- U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

- U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

- U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob "Jake" M. Galliher, 24, was a native of Pittsfield, Mass. His remains were the first to be found.

The Osprey is an aircraft that is manufactured in the United States. It is a hybrid aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, but can also rotate its propellers forward and fly much faster like an airplane.

Recently, Japan has suspended all flights of its fleet of 14 Ospreys. Japanese officials have requested the U.S. military to ensure the safety of the aircraft before resuming Osprey flights. However, the Pentagon has stated that no formal request has been made and that the U.S. military is continuing to fly 24 MV-22s, the Marine version of Ospreys, deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

On Sunday, parts of wreckage that Japan's coast guard and regional fishing boats have gathered were passed over to the U.S. military for examination. Japan's military stated that the collected debris would be handed over to the U.S.

By Anita Johnson-Brown|The Los Angeles News