US Navy Recovers Body of Commander Gabriel Edwards

The United States Navy recovered the body of Commander Gabriel Edwards on Tuesday following an emergency water landing of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter in the Arabian Sea on July 1. Edwards, the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, went missing during the incident, though three other crew members were rescued in stable condition.

Search and rescue operations lasted more than 102 hours and covered 14,000 square miles before the Navy suspended the search on Sunday and subsequently recovered the body. The helicopter was embarked aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, which was deployed to the Middle East following U.S. strikes against Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.

Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao directed the posthumous promotion of Edwards, a 20-year veteran and resident of Oakland, Oregon, to the rank of captain. Navy officials stated there was no indication that hostile action caused the crash, and the cause of the emergency landing remains under investigation.