The ten men who lost their lives after a merchant vessel slammed into a U.S. Navy destroyer have been posthumously advanced to the next rank, according to Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs.
Ten young sailors died in an accident involving the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John McCain and the tanker Alnic MC. The latter collided with the American warship in the pre-dawn hours in waters near Singapore on Aug. 21.
A combination photo showing Kenneth Aaron Smith, Logan Stephen Palmer, John Henry Hoagland III, Dustin Louis Doyon, Jacob Daniel Drake, Timothy Thomas Eckles Jr., Kevin Sayer Bushell, Abraham Lopez, and Charles Nathan Findley. The Navy has not released a photo of Corey George Ingram U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS
- Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, from Kansas City, Missouri, was posthumously advanced to Chief Electronics Technician.
- Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from El Paso, Texas, advanced to Chief Interior Communications Electrician.
- Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Gaithersburg, Maryland, advanced to Electronics Technician 1st Class.
- Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, from Poughkeepsie, New York, advanced to Information Systems 1st Class.
- Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, from Cable, Ohio, advanced to Electronics Technician 2nd Class. Drake had already been selected for promotion prior to the accident. He was authorized to wear the rank of second class petty officer even though he had not yet officially advanced.
- Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Manchester, Maryland, advanced to Information Systems Technician 2nd Class. Like Drake, Eckels had also been selected for promotion before the fatal collision.
- Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, from Suffield, Connecticut, advanced to Electronics Technician 2nd Class.
- Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Killeen, Texas, was posthumously advanced to Electronics Technician 2nd Class.
- Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, from Decatur, Illinois, advanced to Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class.
- Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, advanced to Electronics Technician 2nd Class.
The cause of the tragic accident, which followed the deadly USS Fitzgerald collision that killed another seven sailors in June, is unknown. There has been much speculation about cyber intrusions, limited resources due to the actions of the Obama administration, and poor training. For the time being, the incident is still under investigation.
The commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which has found itself at the center of several accidents, has been relieved of his command due to a lack of confidence in his leadership ability.
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