Search for crashed military helicopter makes key find

NAVARRE, Fla. -- Divers have found the military helicopter that crashed in dense fog during a Florida training mission, killing seven elite Marines and four experienced soldiers. More bad weather Thursday delayed the recovery of bodies and the flight recorder from wreckage 25 feet deep.

The military's response officially changed from rescue to recovery after divers inspected the shattered core of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, said Col. Monte Cannon, vice-commander of the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base.

"It was certainly a high-impact crash," said Eglin Fire Chief Mark Giuliano, and "very, very, very dense fog" was complicating the response. There's almost no visibility at the crash site, forcing search crews to move slowly in rough surf to avoid running into each other or wreckage, he said.

Dozens of airmen still walked the shores of Santa Rosa Sound, recovering pieces of clothing and bits of wreckage. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended it search Thursday afternoon, but will stay to advise the Army "as salvage operations focus on recovering the remaining fuselage and debris," its statement said.

Two of the soldiers' bodies were recovered, but two others were believed to remain inside the wreckage, said Maj. Gen. Glenn H. Curtis, adjutant general of the Louisiana Army National Guard, which flew the helicopter carrying the Marines Special Operations Command forces from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

One of the Marines killed was Kerry Kemp, whose wife, Jenna, was notified overnight that her husband's remains had been found. Kemp was a "proud Marine, a loving husband and most wonderful father," with a child about to turn 1, said his sister-in-law, Lora Waraksa of Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Another victim was Marcus Bawol, 27, from Warren, Michigan, north of Detroit. His sister, Brandy Peek, said military officials told the family they had identified his remains. Bawol "loved everything about the military," Peek said.

The military was not releasing any details Thursday about those killed, nor has it described the cause of the crash.

The helicopter went down Tuesday night in fog so thick that another helicopter turned back. A woman at campground nearby, Kim Urr, said she heard a metallic sound and then two muffled explosions as it disappeared into the narrow waterway separating Santa Rosa Island from the Florida panhandle mainland.

The cause is being probed by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center out of Fort Rucker, Alabama. President Obama has promised a thorough investigation.

The same fog enveloped a pier where a large gathering held vigil Wednesday night. Crashing Gulf waves created a somber backdrop to the songs, tears and prayers of the people, who have strong ties to the military and the sprawling Eglin Air Force Base.

"My heart is really hurt right now knowing these people were here just on training - knowing they went and left their family members and did not give that goodbye, you know, because they weren't going off to war," a tearful Dolly Edwards, herself the wife of a Marine, said at the vigil.

Thursday's dense sea fog could persist through Friday, which is common when warm southern air meets cold water this time of year, said Jack Cullen, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mobile, Alabama.

The National Guard soldiers, from Hammond, Louisiana, each did two tours in Iraq, and joined in humanitarian missions after Gulf Coast hurricanes and the BP oil spill.

Their passengers were "seasoned combat veterans" who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, said Capt. Barry Morris, spokesman for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

These "unconventional warriors" train constantly to endure grueling conditions and sensitive assignments on land and at sea, from seizing ships to special reconnaissance missions and direct action inside hostile territory. Their practice Tuesday involved "insertion and extraction missions," using small boats and helicopters to move in and out of a target site.