US Marine de California one of the 4 killed in a Philippine plane crash

Camp Pendleton, California – An American sailor from California was identified on Sunday by military officials as one of the four people killed when a plane contracted by the US military crashed in a rice field in the South of the Philippines.

Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, 22, Long Beach, died Thursday in the accident of an aircraft that leads a routine mission “providing information, monitoring and recognition support at the request of our Philippin Allies”, Camp officials Pendleton, California. , said in a press release. The officials said the cause of the accident was investigated.

Three defense entrepreneurs were also killed in the accident, military officials said.

The Civil Aviation Civil Authority of the Philippines confirmed the accident of a light plane in the province of Maguindanao of the surface. The bodies of the four people were recovered from the wreck in the city of Ampatuan, said Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a Maguindanao del security officer.

The American forces were deployed in a Philippin military camp in the south of the country for decades to help provide training and advice to the Philippine forces that fight against Muslim activists. The region is home to minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster attenuation agent, told the Associated Press on Thursday that she had received information that residents saw smoke from the plane and heard an explosion before the Airplane does not fall on the ground for about half a thousand a group of farms.

Durham was trained as an analyst of the electronic intelligence / electromagnetic war war assigned to the 1st radio battalion, officials said. He joined the Marines in January 2021 and was promoted to its current rank on February 1.

Durham’s prices include the naval and naval body federation medal, the medal of good conduct of the Marine Corps, the National Defense Service medal, a meritory mast and air -air insignia, officials said.

“Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps-illustrating the composure, intelligence and altruistic leadership, “said Lieutenant-Colonel Mabel B. Annunziata, commander of the 1st radio battalion, in the press release. “He was deeply respected and loved by his marine companions.”