Ty L Hart

Stayton, Oregon

January 14, 2016

Age Military Rank Unit/Location
21 Marine L/Cpl

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Air Wing 

 Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

 Killed in training when two copters collided off the coast in Hawaii. 

Ty Hart (1994 - 2016)
Obituary
Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart

April 11, 1994 - January 14, 2016

HAWAII - Ty, 21, was taken from us on January 14 in Hawaii. He was born in Stayton and lived his entire life here, graduating from Stayton High School in 2012. While in high school, Ty played football, wrestled, participated in track as well as competition cheer leading. He enjoyed doing karate for 8 years, was always smiling, happy and lived life to the fullest. Ty entered the Marines in March of 2013, and was Crew Chief on a CH-53E Helicopter. He married Hanna Walker on June 27, 2015 in Stayton. Survivors include his wife, Hanna, of Hawaii; his family, his friends and his Marine brothers. Memorial service will be Saturday, January 30 at 2:00 pm at the Stayton High School Gymnasium. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to www.gofundme.com/tyhart. Serving the family, North Santiam Funeral Service, Stayton.

For some memorial service snapshots, Click photo below:

Memorial Service in Stayton, Oregon - click on photo

January 30,2016

20 Minutes Silent Slide Show (Except for video part)

January 30, 2016

Candlelight Vigil for the 12 Marines

January 16, 2016

Welcoming Home L/Cpl Ty Lewis Hart

April 16, 2016

From KOMO News komonews.com 01/17/16:

Vigil of hope held for missing Oregon Marine
BY CHRIS LIEDLE, KATU NEWS AND KATU.COM STAFF SUNDAY, JANUARY 17TH 2016

STAYTON, Ore. About a hundred people Saturday night turned out to support a local family of a U.S. Marine missing in Hawaii after the military helicopter he was on crashed.

Ty Hart is a 2012 graduate of Stayton High School. A massive search is underway for him and 11 others after two CH-53E helicopters didn't return to their base at Kaneohe Bay Thursday.

Hart is stationed on Oahu, living there with his wife, Hanna.

His friends and family held a candlelight vigil at Stayton High School's football stadium on Saturday night. People who packed the stadium were escorted by firefighters and veterans holding American flags.

"This is something that needed to happen right now. This is a gathering of hope. This isn't a gathering for mourning," said Justin Barrett, a family friend who organized the vigil. "We're still hoping and praying that these 12 soldiers will come home safe."

The U.S. Coast Guard says searchers have found helicopter debris, including an empty life raft, but they have yet to find any of the Marines.

Hart's brother-in-law, Devon Walker, is not giving up hope.

"If there's one person out there, he's still fighting and carrying people with him," he said.

Hart played football for the Stayton Eagles and joined the Marines shortly after graduating from high school.

Hart is known by Barrett as a friend who never settles for anything less than great.

"He'd give his shirt off his back in a heartbeat," Barrett said.

He's known by his family as strong-willed, determined and sometimes stubborn.

Walker says that could save his life.

"It's a good time for him to be stubborn," Walker said. "There's still hope and until someone tells us to stop, we're not going to stop."

Hart's mother and father are now in Hawaii. They spoke Saturday afternoon to a reporter with ABC News.

"I will not give up hope unless I'm told to because I know how strong he is," said Trina Hart. "It's not just our son. There's 12 of them.

Trina Hart said her entire family is staying positive.
From The Tillamook Headlight Herald tillamookheadlightherald.com 01/25/16:

Governor Brown Orders Flags at Half-staff in Honor of Fallen Marine LCpl Ty L. Hart
Flags to be lowered on Saturday, January 30 in honor of United States Marine LCpl Ty L. Hart
Jan 25, 2016

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown, today ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the date of his memorial service, Saturday, January 30, 2016, in honor of Lance Corporal Ty L. Hart.

“Lance Corporal Ty Hart represents the best of Oregon,” said Governor Brown. “I ask all Oregonians to keep Ty’s family and friends in their thoughts. His legacy of service and sacrifice is a reminder of the risks our military members take daily to preserve all that we hold dear.”

LCpl Hart, 21, of Stayton, Oregon, died January 14 while conducting a training exercise off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. LCpl Hart enlisted in 2013 and was assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Air Wing in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
From KOIN Ch6 koin.com 01/15/16:

Stayton Marine among 12 missing after copters collide
One of the 12 Marines has been confirmed to be Ty Hart from Stayton, Oregon

AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press
Published: January 15, 2016, 5:28 pm Updated: January 16, 2016, 5:46 am

HALEIWA, Hawaii (AP) — Two Marine Corps helicopters carrying six crew members each collided and went down off the Hawaiian island of Oahu while on a nighttime training mission, and rescuers searched choppy waters Friday where debris had been sighted, military officials said.

One of the 12 Marines has been confirmed to be Ty Hart from Stayton, Oregon. There was no immediate word on the fate of those aboard or what caused the accident.

Hart, 21, was a high school varsity football player and wrestler who graduated in 2012. He was most remembered by his friends for his big smile and by his principal as an overachiever. Hart got married 6 months ago.

The transport helicopters known as CH-53Es crashed just before midnight Thursday, officials said.

Hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 airplane spotted a debris field 2 1/2 miles offshore. The debris covered an area of 2 miles, Marine Capt. Timothy Irish said.

The choppers were part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Known as Super Stallions, they are the U.S. military’s largest helicopter, capable of carrying a light armored vehicle, 16 tons of cargo or a team of combat-equipped Marines, according to a Marine Corps website.

Elaray Navarro, a retiree who lives across the street from the beach, said she heard two booms late Thursday that were loud enough to shake her house.

“I threw my blanket off, put my slippers on and ran outside thinking it was a car accident,” she said.

She expressed concern for the crew as she watched the pounding surf from Haleiwa.

“I pray to the man upstairs to help them. To bring them home safely,” she said.

The Coast Guard was notified of the crash by a civilian on a beach who saw the aircraft flying, then disappear, followed by a fireball. The agency received another report of a flare in the sky, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr said.

It was not clear if the fireball and the flare were the same, he said.

The Marines were alerted when the helicopters failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay as scheduled, Irish said.

The Coast Guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but Irish said later in the day that he did not know if the accident was a collision.

The helicopters normally carry four crew members, but this particular flight also carried one or two instructor trainers, Irish said. He did not know if they were teaching the crew or just observing.

The search included Air Force units, as well as a Honolulu Fire Department rescue boat and Coast Guard cutters, officials said.

Two Navy ships, the USS John Paul Jones and the USS Gridley, were also participating, along with a Navy squadron of SH-60 helicopters, Navy spokeswoman Agnes Tauyan said.

Rough weather was making the search difficult, with winds blowing up to 23 mph and breaking surf up to 30 feet.

“That is moving that debris all over the place,” Carr said. “It makes finding things incredibly difficult.”

About two dozen Marines were seen walking up and down the beach at Waimea Bay, a popular surfing spot a few miles from the rescue operation. They appeared to be searching the area. One used binoculars to look out to sea.

The Coast Guard was keeping people out of a wide zone that spanned about 30 miles of shoreline, from Kaena Point to Kahuku Point, citing danger from debris. The zone extended from the shore to 8 miles off the coast.

The family of Capt. Kevin Roche believes he was one of the Marines aboard the helicopters.

“We believe the Marines and Coast Guard are doing everything they can to bring Kevin and his fellow Marines home safely, and we are grateful to everyone involved in the rescue,” said a family statement distributed by brother-in-law Anthony Kuenzel in St. Louis.

An aunt posted on a Marine Corps Facebook page that three Marines visited Roche’s parents and reported that he was missing.

The crash comes less than a year after a Marine Corps tilt-rotor aircraft crashed during a training exercise in Hawaii, killing two Marines. The MV-22 Osprey went down last May with 21 Marines and a Navy corpsman on board.

In 2011, one serviceman was killed and three others injured when a CH-53D Sea Stallion chopper crashed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Associated Press writers Caleb Jones, Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu, Greg Keller at Waimea Bay, Bob Lentz in Philadelphia and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.
From Hawaii News Now hawaiinewsnow.com 01/15/16:

12 missing after 2 Marine Corps helicopters crash off Oahu's North Shore
Posted: Jan 15, 2016 2:48 AM PST
Updated: Jan 15, 2016 11:45 PM PST
By HNN StaffCONNECT

HALEIWA, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Rescue crews are continuing their search overnight for for 12 service members who were on board two U.S. Marine Corps helicopters that collided off Oahu’s North Shore during a late-night training mission Thursday.

There was no sign of the marines despite hours of searching rough waters in low visibility.

Two Navy ships and two U.S. Coast Guard cutters will continue the nighttime search, with aircraft, including the Honolulu Fire Department helicopter, resuming the air search at first light Saturday.

Coast Guard Lt. Scott Carr said rescuers are encountering swells of up to 16 feet in the open ocean.

"This is probably one of the most difficult search missions I've seen," Carr told reporters. He added, "Our men and women train for this. Our goal is to find survivors."

Both of the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters had six Marines aboard when they crashed off Haleiwa about 10:40 p.m. Authorities said they did not get a distress call from either helicopter.

Witnesses said the collision produced a fireball that lit up the night sky.

"It was like daytime," said Chase Tantog, 21, who was fishing at Chun's Reef when he saw what he thought was a meteor falling from the sky.

"It was just a big fireball coming down," he said. "There was debris, too, on the side, like coming off. Once it hit the water, it just blacked out and then you hear the thunder roar after. It was really loud."

Debris field widespread

Rescuers have encountered debris believed to be from the helicopters across a wide swath of ocean, stretching from Kaena Point to Kahuku Point and seven miles offshore. They've asked people to stay out of North Shore waters throughout the day. (Officials ask that anyone who sees debris to call the Coast Guard at 535-3372.)

Early on in the search, crews discovered a life raft, but no one was on board and there were no visible flames in the water.

Carr said rough seas are further scattering and churning debris. Surf on Oahu’s North Shore was estimated at 35 to 45 feet Friday.

"The weather is making it very difficult," Carr said. "Debris is moving things all over the place. It's very difficult to find things right now.

Routine training mission

The Marines on board the two helicopters were conducting a routine night training mission that started from Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe and was expected to conclude there, said Marine Corps Capt. Timothy Irish.

They were flying in low-light conditions and using night vision goggles. 

Irish said there are normally four people on such training missions, but these missions had two additional training instructors on board each.

Following witness reports of a crash Thursday night, the Coast Guard dispatched a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a HC-130 aircraft, both of which arrived on scene shortly after midnight. Two Coast Guard Cutters – the 87-foot Ahi from Maui and the 110-foot Kiska from the Big Island – were also dispatched.

Irish said the Marines have reached out to all of the family members of those on board the helicopters, and are also offering counseling to the larger Marine community in the islands.

"There are a lot of Marine Corps families affected right now and they've got a lot of concerns for their loved ones," he said. "I cannot imagine the feelings those families are going through right now."

Search continues

The search area grew throughout the day, and by about 2 p.m. spanned some 20 miles along the shoreline, from Mokuleia Beach to Turtle Bay.

“Anytime you are dealing with a debris field … that’s pretty normal that it will move,” Carr said. “As you go over time in any search and rescue, the area typically starts to get bigger."

The Honolulu Fire Department -- with help from federal firefighters -- and the U.S. Navy are also assisting in the search. Lifeguards also pitched in, searching within a mile of shore for debris.

A Kaneohe-based HSM-37 Navy attacker helicopter was dispatched along with two Navy destroyers -- the USS John Paul Jones and USS Gridley.

Witnesses recount collision

Residents up and down the North Shore saw -- or heard -- the collision Thursday night.

Don Williams said the collision produced "two big booms."

"It shook the house," he said. "I couldn't figure out what it was."

Tantog, who was fishing at Chun's Reef, said the fireball in the night sky was so big "I thought the world was going to end."

One woman said she was at Haleiwa Harbor on Thursday night when she saw what she thought was a flare.

"I didn't see it shoot up, I saw when something was coming down."
From The Statesman Journal statesmanjournal.com 01/19/16:

Stayton grad is among missing Marines
By Justin Much, Stayton Mail 5:24 p.m. PST January 19, 2016

The search continued Tuesday for 12 Marines who have been missing since two helicopters collided in Hawaii last week.

Each helicopter carried six Marines engaged in a nighttime training exercise off the coast of Oahu, according to military reports. A wide-scale search-and-rescue operation was launched after the helicopters and crew didn’t return from the training.

Among the missing is Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart, 21, a 2012 graduate of Stayton High School. Hart joined the Marine Corps in 2013. The Corps lists Hart’s hometown as Aumsville.

Hart and his wife, Hanna, of Mollala, live in Kailua, Honolulu County, Hawaii. They married last summer.

Stayton area residents held a candlelight vigil at the high school over the weekend as search-and-rescue efforts continued.

"There was a vigil on Saturday night, the purpose of which was not to mourn, a vigil for hope as the search continued," said Stayton High School Principal Alan Kirby. "There is not anything specifically ongoing at the high school right now, though it is on the minds of many of us right now."

KGW news reported that a friend of the Hart family, Justin Barrett, helped organize the vigil.

"This is not a gathering for mourning, this is a gathering for hope," Barrett said. "We are still hoping and praying those 12 (Marines) will come home safe.”

Reports from the island Tuesday said a fourth and final rescue raft had been discovered from the wreckage. Reports from the day before said three other rescue rafts had been found, inflated, but indications suggested they had not been manned at all. Officials were unsure how the rafts had been inflated.

The U.S. Coast Guard 14th District, Hawaii and Pacific, reported no indication from the raft sighting that any survivors had been aboard. The Coast Guard added that air, surface and shoreline assets are searching for the survivors and cataloging debris.

"Our focus is to locate these Marines and know with absolute certainty we've thoroughly canvassed every location we might find them,” said Lt. Scott Carr, Coast Guard 14th District public affairs officer.

"The aircraft are from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Base Hawaii," a Marine Corps statement said.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii reported shortly after the wreck that an extensive search and rescue operation had been deployed.

“Approximately 30 U.S. Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing are at the scene assisting in debris recovery and clean-up, as well as delivering food, water and miscellaneous supplies to those involved in the recovery effort,” the report stated.

It also said the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard engaged in the search and rescue operations as did the Federal Fire Department, assisting the Honolulu Fire Department, and the Honolulu Police Department. Honolulu Ocean Safety life guards launched two rescue water craft to assist the military with its search.

The Associated Press said a family friend of Ty Hart, Christina Brown, described him as upbeat and energetic and said he enjoys nature, boating and wakeboarding.

Principal Kirby, who coached Hart in football, said Hart's company was enjoyed by others.

"Ty is a very positive person; I never remember him complaining, and it seems that he always had a smile on his face which in school and during practice," Kirby said. "He had a lot of friends here during his time and was certainly well-liked."

Kirby remembers Hart as a quick learner on the field.

"I believe 9th grade was his first year playing football, but he learned quickly and his positive attitude had a lot to do with that."

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