A U.S. Marine, Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, has been declared dead following a three-day search and rescue effort after falling overboard from the USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea, military officials announced.
Oforah, 21, of Florida, went over the side of the amphibious a§§ault ship on February 7 while the vessel was deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit as part of broader operations in the region.
After 72 hours of around-the-clock searching by Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force units, the effort was suspended, and he was formally declared deceased on February 10.
“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the 22nd MEU (SOC), said in a statement, adding that the loss “is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team.”
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
Oforah was an infantry rifleman assigned to Battalion Landing Team 3/6, having enlisted in October 2023 and completed training at Parris Island and Camp Lejeune before deploying with his unit aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
In a separate unrelated incident this week, the U.S. Navy confirmed that two of its vessels, the USS Truxtun and USNS Supply, collided during a replenishment-at-sea operation, injuring two personnel lightly; both ships are reported to be sailing safely while the matter is investigated.
