I Marine Expeditionary Force hosts a press conference at Camp Pendleton, California, regarding the amphibious assault vehicle mishap July 30, 2020.
Transcript
Afternoon, General David Berger. I’m doing day by General runner Jodi Ostrom in the community in general. Starting major with me yesterday evening. Vehicle or with California? The vehicles First. I’d like to thank everyone for their help. I had my own. Ask everyone to keep family. There were 15 Marines. One sailor aboard the time we found a one Marine has died. Marine Care. Five of Mesquite are back. Still have seven marines. Search and rescue efforts dismissed. Share the results. The meat. I’ve directed immediate suspension of assault. Robbery. All a prospect. Yeah. Like to offer heart felt prayer Turning over now, General. Good afternoon. Was the combat I mentioned. I’m Lieutenant General Jodi Osterman, the commanding general and a person foremost. I’d like to just acknowledge our thoughts and prayers are with families affected by these Marines. Very tragic situation. The incident occurred just off, sank so many islands. And it was part of our do with 15 Marine Expeditionary Unit which read the operations their normal waterborne trade. When the A D began to take on water signals. Work like taking a water immediate response was provided by additional tracks with more as well as safety And as a comment on mentioned, we were able to rescue eight of the Marines search operations. So our operation again heartfelt. That ready? No. They actually inspected our diver things. How long rest people over the, uh, basically the A G in that part of off the islands. There. The water drops off very quickly to, uh the A is actually in several water. It’s really balloon to. So we’re working in a really owe an incredible gratitude, thanks to our Navy and our post war brother. They’re actually working with us to provide assets. Basically get down Way are continuing. That’s just that are about maybe no, I don’t have specifics. Way told him, Obviously, like incest situations. Way with best. I’m After the baby’s came off. Did it started taking on water was immediately after coming off with. They were basically completing training. They had already come ashore today. Prior have been conducting training operations. Sure, they were actually on their way from back out. And, uh, I don’t know the exact distances over 1000 meters. It is like home. You mentioned a training with training kind of stand down and inspection department. I want you to do that at this point on his first day and what’s kind of involved in both of those aspects. Think precaution before we understand what cause we’re causing water. Once we determined what the cause was made. A second decision with this is to ensure out of an abundance of caution time. Give the time to recovery. Find out what, actually Amtrak units, tensions in your country. Sure, just wait. My question kind of dog tails off that this is the third time that a has taking on water and sunk in the last decade. And do do we see any similarities? At least from the last 2017 and 2011? Wait until this investigation is done. Call. If you want to say thing first to make sure that families are taken care of and that searching rescue efforts, support and then after the investigation is done, we’ll see. Has always been there. Any trends that there’s any linkages. The first step deducted search and rescue. Take care. I think that’s with focus, but also just to clarify, especially the last 25 way maintaining story. I think I’m sure for those who didn’t hear the question this was pertaining to the difficulty to progress. People finishes. All vehicles are built on a special patient. 21 personnel in the back with 280. You’re each I mean, this particular a anywhere here from it. Egress. Prospective, Just awful. Vital with personal. Recovered, obviously, somewhere coming. I mentioned until the investigation. He does have three watertight. Then it has to very large patches. Back vehicle itself weighs so with that, it has natural, obviously, how much water the Marines were in their normal your body. Casey, the, uh, the old quotation inflatable vest with the rescue operations. Some of those Marines. Just that’s about all one. Sure it is more more than 1000 right now. I don’t want to talk about right now. Your statement using moved out of, uh, yeah. You talk about the conditions that night. I know. Today there were strong moderate winds, choppy seas. What conditions? I don’t have the specifics of the conditions. I do know that something. The assessment is always a certain assessment for wave action. Make sure it’s within parameters close with. I just don’t everything wait. Shop number. I think you talk about what assets you have Certainly right now, it’s just in the search of recovery surfaces Airborne and other agencies that started. It is a bold and also what support is being provided with and the families thinking the captains and other support Right now on station, we got expect six George free stations. He came over from distant locations. There’s surface vessels yesterday today. Way search and rescue sensors from surface perspective. Or you, Richard More, I think back. No, I don’t have the exact I know where it went down. The other units were literally right there. Part of the search rescue looking search and rescue expert Erica. How many other eighties were happened? Anything to do with fury? Some of your, uh, you’re I understand. 13. Time for one more question. Can you tell me how old? No. How long it took to go down the age of the A V. I don’t move for that particular one. Davies were originally 70 going through many service Life Extension Program’s Barstow. Bring it in. They literally take it down to just refilled everything inside of it at the age of the vehicle years. Some of the recent modifications include things like emergency lighting And then that long did the time Now? No. I don’t know exactly. I do know that, uh was a very short time. That spot the investigation last. All right, The only thing we could really tell the difference go. Probably the person I would just ask you to respect understand the situation that the families they’re giving both the families of those they recovered in the family you will get in for May gets it. I’m just asking you to give them that distance. Put yourself in their shoes, allow them to focus on there, and then the rest of the interest will come. But sometimes eagerness to get information, lose sight of the priority. We know you were going to see a party right now. Family. All the information will come in. Just thanks for your interest in here.