US Marine declared dead after search following fall from USS Iwo Jima

A U.S. Marine who reportedly fell overboard and was lost at sea during operations in the Carribean has been declared dead after an unsuccessful search, officials said Thursday. 

Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, 21, of Florida, was declared deceased on Tuesday, three days after he fell overboard the USS Iwo Jima, the Marine Corps said. He was announced dead following a 72-hour search and rescue operation.

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“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” said Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. “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.”

The declaration followed a 72-hour search that involved five U.S. Navy ships, a rigid-hull inflatable boat, and ten aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. 

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Oforah was an infantry rifleman. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in Oct. 2023 and graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, in Feb. 2024. 

He completed the USMC’s School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.

At the time of his death, he was deployed with Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 22nd MEU aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

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The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation.