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U.S. military releases names of crew members who died in Osprey crash off coast of Japan

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The U.S. military has released the names of all eight Air Force crew members on an Osprey aircraft that crashed into the sea on Nov. 29, as search and rescue operations transitioned into search and recovery operations off the shore of Yakushima Island, Japan.

The Osprey had been performing a routine training mission when it went down, according to the Air Force.

So far, the remains of three crew members have been recovered, according to a military news release, and the remains of another three have been located and are being recovered. Two Airmen have not yet been located, but the shift to search and recovery indicates the military no longer expects to find survivors.

Staff Sgt. Jake Galliher‘s remains were recovered on the day of the crash. He was the only one of the total eight crew members whose remains had been found before Monday. Galliher, 24, was a young father from Massachusetts who had been assigned to the 43rd Intelligence Squadron as a direct support operator.

The Air Force released the names and information about the other seven on Tuesday: 

  • Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was a CV-22 instructor pilot and officer in charge of training, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
  • U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
  • U.S. Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
  • U.S. Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
  • U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida, was a medical operations flight chief assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
  • U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
  • U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of eight American troops in a tragic aircraft crash off the coast of Japan,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Tuesday.

Austin promised a rigorous investigation of the incident, adding, “The United States is grateful to Japan’s Coast Guard, Self-Defense forces, and local communities – including fishermen – for their search and rescue efforts.”

The service of the eight Airmen “will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history,” Lt. General Tony Bauernfeind, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, said in a statement.

The Air Force said that all five U.S. military branches, along with Japanese allies, would continue the search and recovery operations.

Map shows where U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan

Elmurod Usubaliev/Anadolu via Getty Images


“We are resolved to locating our aircrew and bringing them home to their families,” said Rear Adm. Jeromy Williams, Special Operations Command – Pacific commander. 

The search and rescue efforts included air, surface and subsurface searches of the water and coastlines in the vicinity of Yakushima, the U.S. military said. The Japan Coast Guard said it had deployed side-scan sonar to scour the seabed for evidence of the ill-fated Osprey. 

Several pieces of debris believed to be from the aircraft were recovered from the water Wednesday, in addition to a large, empty orange life raft.

Japan Coast Guard conducts search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. military aircraft V-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Japan
A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter conduct a search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. Air Force V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, Nov. 30, 2023.

Kyodo via REUTERS


Japan had asked the U.S. to stop flying Ospreys over Japan until the aircraft could be confirmed safe. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters Friday that Japan had made that request “officially” of Washington. He called the U.S. continued use of the aircraft in Japan “deeply regrettable,” and said it had caused “great anxiety to people” in the area where the plane went down.  

There has been a spate of fatal U.S. Osprey crashes in recent years, including during a multinational training exercise on an Australian island in August, which killed three U.S. Marines and left eight others hospitalized. All five U.S. Marines on board another Osprey died the previous summer when their aircraft crashed in the California desert. 

The U.S. military’s investigation found that “dual hard clutch engagement” leading to engine failure led to that crash. The U.S. Marine Corps and Navy have reported similar clutch slips in their Ospreys and said they have worked to address the issue, according to The Associated Press.

An Osprey crashed in shallow water just off the Japanese island of Okinawa in 2016, but all the U.S. Marines on board survived that incident. 

Despite the crashes, the versatility of the Osprey — which can take off and land like a helicopter but then tilt its rotors to fly as a turbo-prop plane — has made it a trusty workhorse for the U.S. military, especially for troop transport.

Both the Japanese and U.S. militaries will likely want to be able to continue using them in the highly strategic corner of the western Pacific.

Japanese reporters said they had seen multiple U.S. Ospreys take off Thursday from Okinawa, where the U.S. has its biggest military base in the region, so there was no sign that the U.S. was acting on Japan’s request for a grounding of the aircraft.

CBS News’ Duarte Dias in London and Eleanor Watson in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.



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Americans face holiday travel TSA crunch if government shuts down

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Americans face holiday travel TSA crunch if government shuts down – CBS News


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Millions of Americans hoping to travel for the holidays may encounter a snag at TSA stops across U.S. airports if the government shuts down. CBS News’ Skyler Henry reports from Atlanta. Also, CBS News Bay Area meteorologist Jessica Burch breaks down the latest weather forecast for travelers.

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Will it snow on Christmas? Maps show weather forecasts for 2024

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With Christmas only a few days away, many Americans may be dreaming of a white Christmas, but few will end up walking in a winter wonderland. The warm and above-average temperatures in the weather forecast across the continental U.S. for Christmas week of 2024 are expected to keep any precipitation that falls as rain, not snow, for many parts of the country.  

Where is most likely to get snow on Christmas?

If you’re looking for fluffy white flakes, some spots have a better chance than others. 

This year, the only parts of the U.S. likely to see a white Christmas will be in the Rocky Mountains and along the U.S. border with Canada. That includes some northern areas of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Weather forecast for holiday travel

For those who are trying to travel on Monday, the more difficult regions will be in the Upper Midwest and in the northern Rockies. Falling snowflakes can be found in states like Idaho, western Montana, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Interstate travel will be hazardous through parts of I-15, I-90, I-84, I-94 and I-75.  

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National weather forecast map for Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.

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The wintry weather conditions shift from the Great Lakes region into the Northeast on Tuesday. Cold air pushes through to bring upwards of a half a foot of snow to the interior Northeast.  

Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will bring rain showers to the Mississippi Valley. In the West, the next atmospheric river will deliver rain to the lower elevations, with snow falling in the Cascade Mountains. Hazardous interstate travel conditions will be found along I-5, I-90, I-94, I-80, I-81 and even parts of I-95 up the East Coast. 

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National weather forecast map for Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.

CBS News


Map of snow forecast for Christmas Day 2024

On Wednesday, Christmas Day, not many locations will see the fresh snowfall of picture-book holidays.  

The definition of a “white Christmas” by the National Weather Service is having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning. The only areas likely to meet that qualification on Christmas Day this year will be in the Rockies and along the U.S.-Canada border. 

The moisture from the atmospheric river in the West will move into the Rockies to bring light snow to the higher elevations.  

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National weather forecast map for Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024.

CBS News


Elsewhere, rain showers stick around in the Mississippi Valley, making for a soggy Christmas Day. Temperatures are forecast to be well above the freezing mark most places, which means precipitation will mainly be rain. Messy travel on Christmas could be found along Interstate 40, I-55, I-40, I-70, I-80 and I-90.  

On Thursday, the next round of weather moves into the Northwest. Lower elevation rain can be expected along I-5, while in the interior Northwest.heavier snowfall is forecast in the Cascades and down into the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lingering rain showers continue in the Mississippi Valley and into parts of the Midwest. 

Are white Christmases getting rarer? 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tracked snowfall data across the U.S. for years, and says there have been some notable changes over the past four decades, “consistent with the reality of long-term warming.” 

When comparing the average probability of Christmas snowfall from 1981-2010 to the period from 1991-2020, NOAA says, “More areas experienced decreases in their chances of a white Christmas than experienced increases.” 

The NOAA map below shows areas with the highest historic probability of seeing a white Christmas. Areas shaded in light blue have a higher than average chance, while the northern and mountain locations marked in white have historically had snow on Christmas at least 90% of the time. 

noaa-christmas-snow-probability-map.jpg
This map from NOAA shows the historic probability of having at least 1 inch of snow on Christmas.

NOAA/Climate.gov


You can explore an interactive version of the map on NOAA’s website here.



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Tyler Perry and Kerry Washington on bringing the untold story of “Six Triple Eight” to the big screen

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Hollywood powerhouses Tyler Perry and Kerry Washington have joined forces to tell the remarkable story of the 6888th Postal Battalion, which was the only women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed in Europe during World War II. Perry — who wrote, directed and produced the film — describes “Six Triple Eight” as an important chapter in U.S. history.

The film centers on the women of the 6888th who were sent to Europe with the daunting task of delivering a backlog of nearly 17 million pieces of mail to U.S. soldiers and their families. The women not only completed the mission, but did so in just 90 days, defying expectations. Kerry Washington stars as Major Charity Adams, the real-life commanding officer of the unit and the highest-ranking Black female officer during the war.

At Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Washington, D.C., Perry and Washington discussed the significance of sharing this story. 

Washington’s portrayal of Adams was a key part of the project. Perry explained his choice of Washington for the role, saying, “I thought, ‘Let’s show the world that there’s something so different here from you. I know they know Olivia Pope. But when we’re done, they’re going to see no one but Charity Adams.'”

The film also brought intense moments of historical reflection. Perry recounted a personal encounter with Lena King, one of the last surviving members of the 6888th, who was 99 years old at the time and home on hospice.

“I actually wanted all of the surviving members to see it,” he said. “Lena was the only one who got a chance to. I rushed a cut together and bought it to her.”

King’s reaction to the film was unforgettable for Perry.

“We watched it and she was in tears. And at the end of it, she’s saluting and she’s crying. And she says, ‘Tyler, thank you for letting the world know that black women contributed into war effort,'” Perry recalled.

Both Perry and Washington recognized the story’s importance, emphasizing that the women of the 6888th had been overlooked historically. 

“There were 855 Black women and women of color who served in World War II, and no one knew it,” Perry said. Washington added, “And went overseas to represent this country.”

The film also explores the strength of these women who faced immense odds.

“It really is about exceeding expectations and being able to achieve against all odds and being able to stand up to people who don’t believe in you to say, ‘I believe in me. And I believe in we,'” Washington said.

You can stream “Six Triple Eight” on Netflix.



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