The U.S. Marine Corps has confirmed that Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, a 21-year-old Florida native of Nigerian descent, has died after falling overboard in the Caribbean
Oforah fell from the USS Iwo Jima on 7 February and despite an intensive three-day search operation involving five ships and 10 aircraft, he was not recovered.
The military officially ended the search and pronounced him dead on 10 February.
While the death was announced this Wednesday, the Marine Corps has not yet released specific details regarding the circumstances of the fall, and the incident remains under formal military investigation.
“The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team,” said Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the Marine Expeditionary Unit (SOC). “He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten,” as quoted by BBC.
Oforah was supporting a mission that has significantly altered the geopolitical landscape of the region.
Since September, Operation Southern Spear has conducted 38 lethal strikes on suspected drug vessels and facilitated the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro in early January.
The USS Iwo Jima, the ship Oforah was stationed on, was used to transport Maduro following the U.S. raid.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the operation’s aggressive tactics, stating the goal is to remove “narco-terrorists” and secure the U.S. from the influx of illegal drugs.
