7 Marines, 4 Army Soldiers Feared Lost in Florida Training Exercise as Helicopter Crashes

It was a training mission that left from Eglin Air Force Base in the panhandle of Florida. 11 military personnel were on board the Army's CH-60 helicopter: Seven Special-Ops Marines from Camp Lejeune, and four Army soldiers from a National Guard unit out of Hammond, Louisiana.

Debris from a downed helicopter in a military training mission was found early Wednesday morning, with officials reporting all on board as missing. The helicopter was reported missing at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, with officials finding the debris 5 ½ hours later, at 2:00 a.m.

From the Associated Press:

The Ch-60 helicopter went down during a routine training mission on a remote swath of beach between Pensacola and Destin. The beach is owned by the military and is used for test missions.

The training area includes 20 miles of pristine beachfront that has been under the control of the military since before World War II. Military police keep a close watch on the area and have been known to run off private vendors who rent jet skis or paddle boards without permission.

Names of those involved were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those involved, and their families