MOBILE, Ala. - The Coast Guard held a memorial service in Hangar 2 at Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala., March 9, 2012, to pay tribute to the crew of Coast Guard helicopter 6535, who died in a crash during a training mission, Feb. 28, 2012.
Lt. Cmdr. Dale Taylor, Lt. j.g. Thomas Cameron, Chief Petty Officer Fernando Jorge and Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Knight were honored during the service.
“Dale, Tom, Nando and Drew answered the call,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp. “They stepped forward and dedicated their lives to helping others – the only thing stronger than their desire to fly, was their desire to serve. And, they did serve – they served all of us.”
On Feb. 28, 2012, a Coast Guard helicopter, designation 6535, went down in Mobile Bay, Ala., during a training flight. The bodies of Taylor, Cameron and Jorge were recovered from the crash site within the first few days of the search, and Knight was located just hours after the ceremony.
The ceremony was open to the public and gave the people of Mobile an opportunity to pay their respects as well. Hundreds of people from the community posted supportive comments on the Coast Guard's Facebook page after the crash and many shared content that was generated on various Coast Guard social media platforms.
"On behalf of the Coast Guard family, we want to thank our readers for the outpouring of support from the public, particularly the community of Mobile, over the past week," said Chris Lagan, chief of the Coast Guard's social media program. "Your thoughts and prayers for our shipmates and those they left behind are both a testament to the careers of these brave Coast Guardsmen and an inspiration to those who choose to wear the uniform in service to and defense of the United States."
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