Marines give highest noncombat medal to family of Osprey crew chief who died trying to save pilots

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Marine Corps in a ceremony at the commandant’s headquarters on Monday presented their highest noncombat medal to the parents of Cpl. Spencer Collart, who died last year after his V-22 Osprey crashed in Australia.

Collart, 21, survived the crash but went back into the burning aircraft to try to save the pilots, who were trapped.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith spoke with emotion in addressing the fallen Marine’s parents, Bart and Alexia Collart, who are from Arlington, Virginia. “You raised a Marine who in the final moments of his life thought not of himself but of this fellow Marines,” Smith said. “He didn’t stop to think of the fire or the danger.”

During the ceremony, Smith, who is the Marine Corps’ top military officer, cried twice.

The crash in August 2023 was one of four fatal accidents since 2022 that have drawn increased scrutiny of the Osprey, which flies both like a helicopter and an airplane. The Associated Press has reported on the mechanical and safety issues the program has faced, and there are multiple reviews underway to see if the complex aircraft has the resources needed to improve its reliability.

Bart Collart called his son “one of the best knuckleheads you ever wanted to hang out with.” He said the pilots and Spencer “lost their lives while managing to save the lives of every Marine they were transporting,” and he credited the pilots with leveling out the Osprey before it hit the ground, to give the troops they were transporting a better chance of surviving.

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