Marine from Catlettsburg killed in NATO exercise

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

WASHINGTON — A Boyd County man with Lawrence County ties was one of four U.S. Marines who died when their Osprey aircraft crashed Friday night in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise.

Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg and the three other victims were assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing stationed on Marine Corps Air Station in New River, N.C.

Moore reportedly had relatives who live in Lawrence County.

The other Marines were identified as Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Capt. Ross A. Reynolds, 27, of Leominster, Mass.; and Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30, of Cambridge, Ohio.

A Marine Corps spokesman said the bodies were removed from the crash site and in the process of being returned to the U.S.

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers paid tribute to Moore in a statement issued Monday, saying Moore “bravely signed up to serve his nation at all costs and was diligently executing a joint NATO exercise as part of Exercise Cold Response 22 at the time of the fatal helicopter crash.”

“While we await answers from the Department of Defense about the cause of the crash, may we all pause to honor the memory of our brave Marine from Boyd County who was putting his training to the test to improve national defense for the United States and our allies,” Rogers said. “During his service over the last four years, Cpl. Moore received the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.”

Rogers said the “nation owes a great debt of gratitude for the service of the four Marines who lost their lives on our behalf.”

“I join the people of Eastern Kentucky in extending my deepest heartfelt sympathies to Cpl. Moore’s friends and family members and pray that the peace of God will provide the strength necessary for the days ahead.”