May is Military Appreciation Month.
For many, it’s a time for parades, social media posts, and long weekends.
But for those of us who wore the uniform, it’s personal. It’s remembering the faces, the laughter, the sacrifice.
And for me, every Memorial Day brings back one night I’ll never forget—Exercise Purple Star, May 10th, 1996.
Before the Call
We were just a bunch of young Marines sitting around, passing time the best we could. Playing cards. Talking trash like always. Watching the same movies we’d seen a dozen times. Laughing like we always did.
We had no idea that in a few short hours, some of us would be gone, and the rest of us would be tasked with recovering what was left of them and bringing them home.
I was with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines—eventually assigned to the 24th MEU (SOC) as a TRAP team. That’s short for Tactical Recovery of Aircraft Personnel. If a pilot went down behind enemy lines, we were the quick reaction force sent in to get them back.
But before any MEU deployment, you have to prove yourself. Exercise Purple Star was one of those proving grounds.
Wheels up at 0200, Inbound to LZ Bluebird
Stacked just inside the door to the flight deck, our team did final gear and weapons checks. The smell of aviation fuel clung to the air as the CH-46 helicopters spun up in the darkness. You never forget that smell. Or the sudden blast of hot exhaust as you climb aboard. That was the beginning of our mission.
Three birds were set to fly toward the North Carolina coast. The plan was simple: insert at LZ Bluebird, run the op, exfil. As we lifted off, two AH-1W Cobra gunships flew ahead to clear the landing zone.
I remember staring out the small circular window. Just blackness. Until a fireball erupted in the sky.
Then everything changed.
Our helicopter banked hard left and did a power climb. Inside, the crew chief flashed a hand signal—two fists slammed together. Mid-air collision. Holy shit….
One of our CH-46s had just collided with one of the Cobras.
From Training to Tragedy
Within moments, we weren’t training anymore. We were recovering the remains of our own. The same guys we had joked with just hours before. The same voices, now silent.
I still have the topo map from that night. It’s framed in my office, a daily reminder of what was lost.
Their Names Deserve to Be Remembered
- Maj. Michael D. Kuszewski, 42, Westminster, MA
- Capt. Scott T. Rice, 28, Springfield, MO
- 1st Lt. Joseph R. Fandrey, 25, Norfolk, MA
- 1st Lt. Arthur J. Schneider, 25, Livingston, NJ
- Cpl. Brandon J. Tucker, 23, Gaston, NC
- Cpl. Brian L. Collins, 22, Louisville, KY
- Cpl. Britt T. Stacey, 26, Roanoke, VA
- Cpl. Erik D. Kirkland, 29, Lewisburg, PA
- Lance Cpl. John P. Condello, 23, Rochester, NY
- Lance Cpl. Jackie D. Chidester, 23, Newark, OH
- Lance Cpl. Jose L. Elizarraras, 20, Orange, CA
- Lance Cpl. Jorge E. Malagon, 19, Melrose Park, IL
- HM Brent W. Garmon (USN), 20, New Bern, NC
- Staff Sgt. Sean W. Carroll (USA), 36, Newburgh, NY
They didn’t die in combat.
They died preparing for it.
And that matters just as much.
What the Public Doesn’t See
You won’t see this tragedy mentioned on the news. No annual tributes. No trending hashtags. But for the families who lost someone that night, and for those of us who were there, it’s a scar that never fully heals.
People often assume training is safe—that it’s the prelude to danger, not danger itself. But training to be ready for war is often as lethal as war. Especially for units like ours, where speed, realism, and risk were part of the job description.
Why We Train Like We Fight
We trained hard because there was no room for failure. If a pilot went down behind enemy lines, we were the ones who had to go get him—fast. And that meant testing our gear, pushing our tactics, and working through every worst-case scenario in live environments.
But sometimes, even the most prepared and capable teams pay the ultimate price. And when that happens during training, the loss is no less devastating.
We Remember
Every day, I carry those names with me. Every time I look at that framed map, I think of them. Their sacrifice. Their dedication. Their final flight.
This Memorial Day, don’t just remember those who died in combat. Remember those who died training for it.
Because they were ready to give everything—so others wouldn’t have to.
Scott, a mutual friend shared this with me. I was on duty for the ACE that night aboard the Saipan. I grieve with you and your brothers.
Semper Fi,
Tim Hogan
Thanks, Tim! Semper Fi brother.
I was the UH-1N CC aboard the C&C aircraft (UH-1N). Admin note we (you and us) were heading into Plover (rather than Bluebird, Bluebird is right on the coast just inside the Inland waterway) with the BLT CO and a few other strap hangers (SOC evaluators). The BLT CO wanted to go meet his men in LZ plover so we knew that this was the last go of the night. We descended and were just in trail of the flight of Phrogs and watched what was supposed to be a 45 degree attack left pull off wind up with one snake going right and one going left. The one that went right realized his error and tried to correct. He got lost in the lights on courthouse bay and did not see the phrogs (NVGs washout in bright lights). I wasn’t able to even recognize or get a word out of my mouth when the snake hit the phrog and the fireball fell to the ground. The radios screamed a loud high pitched scream which made any immediate communication impossible. Until they hit the deck and exploded. The screaming stopped and we made a 180 degree turn and wound up on the other side of the New River over LZ Owl. That was a bad night for the HMM and the BLT. It’s a small Marine Corps when we were all in the same place at the same time.
Correction Sandpiper was the intended zone, Plover is where they wound up.
I was with Bravo 1\2 at the time this happened remember it well.
I’ll never forget that night! I was on OPFOR with Bravo 2LAR. Sorry for you loss!
DOC Robinson
I was in that OP with an LAR unit and remember the entire training coming to a halt that night. Just found my notes of the training exercise in my gear. So sad, first exposure to how dangerous the training exercises we participated in really were.
We had already landed and were on our way to some point when we saw the fireball in the sky. It was so bright. Our march turned into a rescue mission as we waded through the swamp to do what we could. I remember wading through a bit of water before finding the wreckage. It was horrible. I lost a good friend that night. Cpl. Britt Stacey. Thanks for sharing. Semper Fi.
That was an unforgettable night. I was with India 3/10 and wet heard and seen the explosion. Our Gunnery Sergeant had a few of the NCO’s to go and assist. Horrible scene.
We to knew Cpl Stacey as well. A friend of mind did the 21 gun salute at his funeral in Roanoke, Va. god bless him and his family and the other Marines lost that night.
Golf Co / 2nd PLT.
That element was on the helicopter that crash twice, and got kicked off twice to a bird that took of ahead. Once on ground, and bird lift off from site, upon NVGs prep the sky lit up and the net call came in as a lightning bolt.
2nd PLT was the closes to accident cite, and got on site to rescue the two pilot from the CH-46. In the mist of all, a Marine turned and said “holy fuck-balls Batman, this is the fucking bird we got kicked off from guys”…the entire swamp went silent upon acknowledgement.
May these 14 souls rest in peace, as well as the minds of the 2nd PLT Marines from G. co, that had to police their body parts as if they were leggo or Mr. Potato Head parts.
SSGT. Moses, SGT. Sippial, LCPL. Randall, LCPL. Rogers, MA, LCPL. Mapes, few of the actual first ground element.
Hi Scott, I was on your CH46E 25 years ago. I was one of two Army Soldiers on that bird. My boss, SSG Sean Carroll, died on the bird that collided. I helped carry out one of the surviving pilots. Thanks for writing this, a lot of that night is a little blurry and I’m writing about it now as part of my therapy.
OMG. I remember continuing the recovery the next day when we had daylight. We were picking up alot of gear and trying to organize it as to who it belonged to. One of the packs I found belonged to the Army PsyOps guy. And good for you writing about it. Writing has helped me alot.
Hey Scott. I was writing out my “morning report” for Instagram and came across your post. I was the Combat Engineer Squad Leader that was attached to 2/8. We were already in the ground when this tragic event happened. I will always remember that night and the actions we all took before the sun finally rose. Thanks for keeping this memory alive.
Mike Leisure
MGySgt/ USMC (Retired)
Breach or Bypass (Owner)
Scott, thanks for reminding people about this. What a rough night/morning. I was the arty Lt attached to G 2/8; Mike Leisure was our platoon sergeant in addition to leading the CE squad. I remember that night all too well. Not many months of May have passed without thinking about that night and those we lost. I remember seeing AJ Schneider, the 2/8 CommO, on my way to the flight deck that night and telling him “I’ll see you ashore” or something like that. Tragic still, 25 years on.
HM Brent W. Garmon (USN), 20, of New Bern, N.C was my cousin. Such a loss.
I remember Brent well. I also remember when one of the team leaders told us “we lost doc”. absolutely horrible night for us and the families. Brent was a great man to have served with.
Doc was such an awesome person! He stood right behind me in the dinner chow line the evening before all this happened. He asked me “Lohman, what are you going to do on leave after we get back?” I told him just go back home and spend time with friends and family. I feel so terrible that I was able to go home on leave and he didn’t have the chance. He would always call me Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins. I will never forget him!
I was on the ground with 2/6 OPFOR. I remember. God bless all. Rest In Peace. I remember.
I was there that night as well on the British side with 4th ANGLICO. We were getting ready to get on RAF Chinooks and they halted the mission when we heard of the crash. I’ll never forget our brothers. You are right, we are the only ones that remember. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years. I have a tribute in my office as well, a model CH-46 and Cobra on a shelf as well as a CH-46 pin on my world map on the Atlantic side by Lejeuene. Semper Fi brothers!
I was at Bogue Field with the British Ghurkas. We were forced to land a British Lynx in the middle of the Croatan during the stand-down.
We lost great Marines who train as hard as they fight.
It’s great to hear from brothers who shared that loss and those times.
Hi Scott I just came across you story, I remember that night well. I was in HMM-266, and I lost two good friends in the crash, the crew chiefs Brian and Brandon. I did not see the crash sight till a couple of days later when we flew over it headed back to New River.
Echo Co 2/8, First Platoon Sgt here. Echo was the boat company and my Platoon was the MSPF (maritime special purpose platoon). We flew off the Saipan earlier that night and were in the adjacent LZ waiting on more insertions from the Saipan. I was working the radio trying to recover a M249 spare barrel bag one of my Marines left on the 46 when a large fireball occured. Lots of confusion for awhile until it became known what happened. I was the SDNCO and Cpl Kirkland was my DNCO a couple nights earlier. He was a good Marine.
Someone mentioned Ssgt Moses from Golf company. He was a good friend and fellow SDNCO that could be fully trusted. S/F Marines.
I just posted below. I still think of this often.
Scott, I was with WPNS 2/8. When this happened. I had a severe eye injury and was recovering at Bethesda. I couldn’t sleep and turned on CNN at 0600. I called the Co. office because they didn’t name the unit at first. But I knew the schedule and had talked to one of my NCOs about the op the afternoon before. Heart breaking.
Scott i was a marine engineer aboard HMS Southampton on the excersise and we all felt your pain . I have always thought about this since . God bless all who serve
Thank you all for your service. My x-husband Harley Dockery, has said that he was part of this team and that he helped with the recovery.
Hi Scott,
I was a weapons specialist on an equivalent British unit (845 Naval Air Commando Squadron), our mission would have been similar. I remember that night. The exercise had just begun and we were operating our Sea King Mk4 helos from the deck of RFA St George that night. I was to be in the last wave ashore as part of our Brigade Echelon. We had loaded up and waved off the first assault and were awaiting their return when we heard there had been a mid-air. Unfortunately and coincidentally at the same time one of our own Sea Kings suffered comms failure and couldn’t be accounted for. Sickening feeling I remember my sweat running cold out on the deck in the darkness as we all thought it was one of our own that was lost. Sorry for your loss, brother.
I was on combat cargo for 1/8 on the Nassau. My platoon just left and I was ship bound due to a jacked up ankle. When we heard the birds went down I thought I lost everyone of my friends. Horrible night.
I was the crew chief on dash 3 of the mishap flight. The dash 2 CH46 was the one that the cobra collided with. I saw the cobra at the last second and as I was calling the aircraft the only words I could say at that point was power climb right. The cobra passed under us in front of our nose and I saw them impact and watched the Ch46 go into the trees and come to rest. My aircraft and dash 4 dropped our troops off on the LHA pad along the river and gave them a heading to try to get to the crash site. I made a trip to MCAS New River to get medical and fire personnel at brought them to the LZ and waited for any news. We medevaced the pilots to Lejeune hospital and were ordered to stand down at MCAS New River. There is not a day or night that I don’t think of and remember that night where we lost 14 OUTSTANDING US service members.
We were probably in your ready room together the morning of this mishap. I was the C&C UH-1N. Shit sucked. Sorry for your guys loss. We were a replacement aircraft because the skid guys you had from 167 could not get a Huey to fly that night and we caught the frag.
You were on my Bird. I was the crew chief who gave you that signal. Living with guilt for 25 years. We were supposed to be Dash 2. You were supposed to be in dash 2. A mixup and serendipity brought us into position as Dash 6. Crow was pissed we were out of position. The pilots kept trying to bounce us back up to dash 2. But settled back into -6. With both of them knowing they were going to get chewed out at the debriefing.