Washington — A young Marine died after falling overboard from the USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea, the Marine Corps announced Thursday, the first known U.S. death in “Operation Southern Spear.”
Marine Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah was 21.
Oforah, an infantry rifleman from Florida, was declared dead on Feb. 10 after a 72-hour search and rescue mission failed to find him, the Marine Corps said. He was reported as falling overboard on the evening of Feb. 7. The Marine Corps said the circumstances surrounded the incident are under investigation.
“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” said Col. Tom Trimble. “The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten.”
The military says the multi-branch search included five U.S. Navy ships, a rigid-hull inflatable boat, and 10 aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.
Operation Southern Spear, begun last year, is the Trump administration’s military and surveillance campaign with the stated purpose of detecting and disrupting transnational criminal maritime networks, particularly related to drug trafficking. The operation has led to scores of deaths and the sinking of at least 39 alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
