Remains of servicemen killed in sea training accident sent to East Coast

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The remains of seven Marines and a Navy sailor who

died two weeks ago when an amphibious assault vehicle sank in the ocean near

San Clemente Island were transferred today from Marine Corps Air Station

Miramar to Dover Air Force Base, the Marine Corps announced.

Six military pallbearers escorted each of the late servicemen's

caskets aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 bound for the Delaware base for final

preparation for burial, after which they will be released to their families for

final arrangements.

The amphibious troop-transport vehicle the Camp Pendleton-based

personnel were aboard foundered for unknown reasons July 30 during a maritime

training mission about 80 miles west of Encinitas and went down in water nearly

400 feet deep. Seven other members of the crew survived.

The military recovered the victims' bodies from the sea floor Friday.

Transferred today to Dover AFB were the remains of:

-- Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 18, of Corona;

-- Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello;

-- Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin;

-- Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, a Navy hospital corpsman 3rd class;

-- Pfc. Jack-Ryan Ostrovsky, 20, of Bend, Oregon;

-- Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 22, of Harris, Texas;

-- Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 18, of Portland, Oregon; and

-- Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside.

The body of Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 19, of New Braunfels,

Texas, who also died when the AAV sank, was transferred from San Diego to the

Air Force installation in Delaware last Wednesday.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to

the Marine Corps.