Thousands of people gathered at the former McClellan Air Force Base in North Highlands this morning to honor nine military fliers who perished in a disastrous crash over the Pacific Ocean last week.
Relatives and military representatives came from across the country to pay tribute to seven Coast Guard members and two Marines who were lost at sea when their aircrafts inexplicably collided.
Family and friends of the fallen fliers filed into a large tent that has been assembled for the service.
Photographs of the victims were displayed on a stage accompanied by the boots and suits of each of the Coast Guard and Marine members. A large video screen flashed personal photos of each of them.
"The mood has been pretty somber for the past week," said Coast Guard Lt. Todd Vorenkamp. "But the outpouring of support from the Coast Guard and the whole community has been great."
Vorenkamp said he expected between 2,500 and 3,500 people to attend the memorial. The service was not open to the public.
The Coast Guard crew members, all based at McClellan, were aboard a C-130 rescue plane looking for a lost boater. The Marines were on a routine helicopter training mission.
On Oct. 29, in a night sky off the San Diego coast, the two aircraft smashed into each other. A massive search found no survivors.
The fliers being honored came from small towns and suburbs around the nation. They are:
• Lt. Cmdr. Che J. Barnes, 35, of Capay, Calif.
• Lt. Adam W. Bryant, 28, Crew, Va.
• Chief Petty Officer John F. Seidman, 43, Stockton, Calif.
• Petty Officer Carl P. Grigonis, 35, Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
• Petty Officer Monica L. Beacham, 29, Decaturville, Tenn.
• Petty Officer Jason S. Moletzsky, 26, Norristown, Pa.
• Petty Officer Danny R. Kreder II, 22, Elm Mott, Tex.
• Maj. Samuel Leigh, 35, Kennebec, Maine.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.