article_snippet: Gen. Joseph L. Osterman -- commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) -- told reporters that the Black Hawk was one of two that had to abort exercises involving water "insertion and extraction techniques" before Crash.
article_snippet: My understanding is ... that they were flying as we normally do -- two aircraft together," Gen. Joseph L. Osterman -- commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) -- said.
article_snippet: The fog was moving in and out," Gen. Joseph L. Osterman -- commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) -- said.
article_snippet: the second helicopter lost communication with the missing aircraft and returned to begin the search operation, Gen. Joseph L. Osterman -- commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) -- said.
article_snippet: Gen. Joseph L. Osterman -- commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) -- said the remains of the other two will be taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for identification and forensic examinations before being turned over to the soldiers' families for burial.
article_snippet: On Friday, MARSOC, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, identified the seven Marines who perished in the crash as Capt.
article_snippet: To have such a tremendous group of Marines -- obviously the experience that Marines had, the cohesion and teamwork and everything else that Marines exhibited -- it definitely hit us all hard by having that many at one time," Osterman said of the deaths.
article_snippet: Osterman said the 2,500 MARSOC troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and other conflict zones during the last eight years -- earning seven Navy Crosses, 19 Silver Stars, 207 Bronze Stars and 189 Purple Hearts.
article_snippet: It is a very tight organization, and many of these Marines and sailors associated with MARSOC are more senior Marines," Osterman said.