Navy Identifies Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, Promotes Him to Captain After 102-Hour Arabian Sea Search
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 8
Navy Identifies Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, Promotes Him to Captain After 102-Hour Arabian Sea Search
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 8
Summary
Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, was identified Tuesday as the sailor lost after an MH-60S helicopter ditched in the Arabian Sea on July 1.
102 hours of search efforts across more than 14,000 square miles ended Sunday without finding Edwards; three of the helicopter’s four crew members were rescued.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao directed a posthumous promotion to captain for Edwards, who had already been selected for advancement and had logged more than 2,000 flight hours.
The Navy said the cause of the emergency water landing remains under investigation and there is no indication hostile action was involved.
HSC-5 is deployed aboard USS George H.W. Bush in the Middle East, where chaplains, mental health professionals and other support staff are assisting the crew and Edwards’ family.