A combat photographer from Illinois was among the six U.S. Marines who were killed May 12 when their helicopter crashed during a humanitarian mission in earthquake-devastated Nepal.
Cpl. Sara A. Medina, of Aurora, was capturing images of the Marine Corps' relief efforts in Nepal as a combat photographer assigned to Marine Corps Installations Pacific.
Gov. Bruce Rauner issued the following statement Sunday for the death of Medina:
“Cpl. Sara Medina made the ultimate sacrifice while assisting the people of Nepal during their time of crisis, and her death is a loss for the State of Illinois and the nation,” the statement said. “Cpl. Medina’s courage and dedication to serving and protecting others makes her a role model for all of us. She will never be forgotten.
“Diana and I extend our deepest sympathies to her family, and the families of her fellow fallen comrades, during this time of mourning.”
The other dead Marines were two officers and three enlisted men.
On Sunday, the remains of the Marines and Nepalese soldiers were transported to the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu where they were honorably received, according to a Marine Corps news release.
Lt. Gen. John Wissler, the commander of the joint task force overseeing the U.S. military's relief efforts in Nepal, thanked local forces for hiking through hazardous terrain and flying in uncertain weather conditions to find the missing Marines and Nepalese soldiers.
"We honor our fallen comrades through our unselfish support to each other in this time of grief," Wissler said in the release.
He described the fallen troops as "courageous, selfless individuals … whose memories will live on through the lives they touched during this disaster relief operation and in their previous service to their countries."
Medina enlisted in the Marine Corps on Nov. 29, 2010. Before deploying to Nepal, she had photographed Marines in South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and the U.S.
Her awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Korean Defense Service Medal.
"Nepali special forces along with U.S. Marines and Air Force personnel were inserted into the crash site early Saturday,” NPR's Julie McCarthy reported from New Delhi “The Joint Task Force coordinating the U.S. military's disaster relief in Nepal said they are investigation why the Huey helicopter went down."
The aircraft went missing while delivering aid in the district of Dolakha on Tuesday. Contact with the chopper was lost shortly after a second quake hit the area.
The first of the bodies, including six Marines and two Nepalis, were recovered on Friday.
Wissler was quoted by The Associated Press as telling reporters in Kathmandu on Friday that his team could not immediately determine the cause of the crash or identify the bodies found.
"He described the crash as 'severe,' and said the recovery team at the site encountered extreme weather and difficult terrain," the AP says.
A total of 300 U.S. military personnel have been supporting the aid mission in Nepal.
On Saturday, Elhadj As Sy, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross, said an appeal had been made for $93 million to help some 700,000 earthquake survivors over the next two years.
The U.N. General Assembly also called for urgent assistance to help Nepal’s earthquake survivors and to rebuild the impoverished Himalayan nation, urging the international community to support the U.N.’s appeal for $415 million for essential needs over the next three months.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the assembly that it is urgent to get aid to all those in need before the monsoon season starts in June.