Two Marines who survived for four hours floating in the cold dark waters of the Pacific Ocean after ejecting from a disabled fighter jet Wednesday night remain hospitalized in San Diego, where their condition has been upgraded to “stable,” Navy and Marine personnel said.
Relatives of the pilot, who was identified by his family as Capt. Pete Brawn, 32, of Albany, Ore., told the Democrat-Herald newspaper that he broke several bones in the ordeal and developed hypothermia, but was in good enough spirits Thursday to joke with medical staff as he headed into surgery.
Brawn’s grandmother, Paula Brawn, told the Albany Democrat-Herald: “We’re relieved that he’s OK. … We understand the Coast Guard was surprised to find them alive.”
The pilot and weapon systems officer of the two-seater Hornet F/A-18D were injured during a training flight when they bailed out of the jet and plunged into the ocean as the plane crashed. The Coast Guard cutter Edisto found them drifting in their flight suits equipped with inflatable life vests about 85 miles southwest of San Diego Thursday morning, after hearing them yelling and blowing a whistle.
A rescue swimmer lowered from a Coast Guard helicopter helped hoist the Marines out of the water at about 2:30 a.m., when they were flown to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park, the Coast Guard said.
Medical center staff had reported the crew to be in “serious but stable” condition when they were admitted, but their condition has since improved, a Navy spokeswoman said Monday.
Military authorities have not named either Marine or released details of their injuries. But 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a spokeswoman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said: “we definitely expect a full recovery. I know that they’re getting some good care in the hospital.”
The jet and its crew were assigned to VMFA(AW)-121, a Marine all-weather fighter attack squadron based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Dooley said.
The Hornet broke apart on impact. Its remains have not been retrieved from the ocean floor, she said.
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com
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