The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit announced on Thursday that 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka Oforah was declared lost at sea after a three day search.
The Marine fell overboard Saturday evening, according to the Marines. The search, which included units from the Navy, Marines and Air Force, was called off on Tuesday.
"We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family," said Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer, 22nd MEU, based at Camp Lejeune. "The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten."
Lance Cpl. Oforah, of Florida, was an infantry rifleman. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2023 and graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, in February 2024. He completed the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
At the time of his death, he was deployed with Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 22nd MEU (SOC), aboard the USS Iwo Jima, according to the Marines.
Over 72 hours, the search and rescue operation included hundreds of flight hours, extensive aviation support and search efforts from USS Iwo Jima’s 7-meter small-boat and surface rescue swimmer teams. Six Navy and Marine helicopters and a Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane were used. The Air Force used two HC-130J Combat King II, which are modified for search and rescue and a MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The U.S. has a large build up of forces in the region. The Norfolk-based USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, with its 2,000 Marines, has been part of the mission in the Caribbean since leaving Norfolk in August as part of Operation Southern Spear.
The team used to apprehend Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro landed on the USS Iwo Jima was the ship after the operation.
Also in the Caribbean, the Navy announced that the USS Truxtun, which left Norfolk less than two weeks ago, was involved in a collision with the Norfolk-based USNS Supply during a replenishment at sea Wednesday. Two people received minor injuries. The accident is under investigation, but the two ships remain in service after the crash, according to the U.S. Southern Command.
Under a replenishment, the two ships would have to remain close together in open water, while supplies, fuel, and sometimes crew, are off-loaded from one ship to the other. Supply ships sometimes resupply more than one Navy ship at a time, which limits their ability to maneuver.
The USS Truxtun had left Norfolk Feb. 3 then returned briefly to fix a mechanical failure before departing again for the Caribbean. The ship had just returned to Norfolk in October, after nearly seven months in the Middle East.
