Navy Gives Update On Search For Sailor Lost When Helicopter Went Down
The U.S. Navy has provided a major update on its search for a missing crew member.
The crew member vanished after an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea.
The U.S. Navy has tragically announced that it has concluded a rescue effort that lasted more than 102 hours and scoured more than 14,000 square miles of open water.
The sailor was never discovered. Four other crew members were rescued from the water and survived.
The missing sailor, whose name is being withheld until relatives are notified, is the 14th American service member confirmed killed in the escalating war with Iran, the New York Post reported.
The helicopter was based on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier.
It went down around 3:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, July 1, in waters within the area of responsibility of U.S. Central Command.
There is no evidence that hostile action was involved in the emergency landing, although the cause is still under investigation, military officials said.
The U.S. 5th Fleet issued a statement confirming the conclusion of the search. The language was spare and official.
“The efforts concluded following an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” the statement said.
A second statement from the fleet command described the scope of the operation: “For more than 102 hours, an extensive and coordinated search and rescue effort spanning over 14,000 square miles was conducted.”
Equally remarkable is what the Navy didn’t say.
No cause has been given for the emergency landing. There is no explanation for the loss of one crew member and the recovery of the other four.
The sailor’s name is being withheld for now. This is the standard protocol for informing families of military casualties, but it leaves families and the public waiting for answers that could take weeks or months.
Fox News reported three of the four recovered crew members were in stable condition on the USS George H.W. Bush.
Three sailors were injured in the emergency landing itself.
The loss raised to 14 the official American toll of war dead in the fighting with Iran.
The number has slowly risen as U.S. forces operate across a volatile theater that stretches from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz and into the broader Central Command footprint.
There have been harrowing episodes already in this conflict.
President Trump had previously promised to jail a leaker who disclosed a live rescue operation of a downed pilot in Iran, an act that highlighted the peril for American pilots and the security threat of unauthorized disclosures during active missions.
The campaign has seen flash points in the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. naval forces have had multiple encounters with Iranian forces, including the sinking of Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz as the administration warned Tehran of rising consequences.
Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. still wants a diplomatic solution, while President Trump wants to make a deal with Iran.
But diplomacy hasn’t stopped the operational tempo or the casualties.
It is worth noting the scale of the rescue effort. More than 102 hours of searching non-stop. 14,000 square miles of ocean.
The Navy and Air Force both committed assets to the operation. That’s no token gesture. That is a military that does not abandon its people without exploring all reasonable options.
The MH-60S Sea Hawk is a workhorse of naval aviation, performing combat support, logistics, search and rescue, and special operations.
It is not a delicate airplane.
Whatever forced the helicopter to make an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea before dawn will undergo a formal investigation.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
