NAVARRE, Fla. (AP) – This tranquil beachside enclave normally provides a respite for soldiers, airmen and Marines who come here to relax or to train between dangerous deployments.
But the hotels and bars where military families share laughs in good times became places of shared grief Wednesday as boats and helicopters searched the waters and beachfront for seven marines and four soldiers presumed to have died after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in dense fog during a routine training exercise.
“My heart is really hurt right now knowing these people were here just on training – knowing they went and left their family members and did not give that goodbye, you know, because they weren’t going off to war,” a tearful Dolly Edwards said. The 35-year-old wife of a Marine was among hundreds who attended a vigil held at the end of a pier jutting into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday night.
The same thick fog that plagued the Black Hawk on Tuesday night engulfed the pier. Combined with the crashing of the Gulf’s waves, it created a somber backdrop to the songs, tears and prayers of the large gathering, which included many with strong ties to the military in a part of Florida that is home to the sprawling Eglin Air Force Base.
“We just need to be here to pay respects,” said Norman Caron, a retired airman, as he held a candle.