7 GIs given up for dead

The United States gave up for dead yesterday seven servicemen missing in Friday’s crash of a special operations helicopter taking part in a joint military exercise with Philippine troops in Mindanao.

"We have reached a difficult but necessary point in the ongoing search where we must transition from search and rescue operations to search and recovery operations," Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster, chief of special forces of the US Pacific Command, told reporters in Zamboanga City.

The US lost 10 soldiers including three whose bodies were fished out hours after the MH-47E Chinook helicopter went down in flames in the shark-infested Bohol Strait off Negros island.

The remains of the three have been flown to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

"Based on our best assessment and the extensive effort by the Philippine and US search teams, we have determined that there is no chance that we will find survivors," Wurster said.

The 10 were the first casualties in what has been viewed as the second front in the US global war against terror.

In Manila, President Arroyo met with US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly to discuss the Southeast Asian phase of the global war on terrorism, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said.

Kelly, the State Department’s top diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific, arrived here Friday and met with Mrs. Arroyo on Saturday, Tiglao said.

"The President assured him that things were going well... and that we are confident that the exercises will be successful," Tiglao said.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said Kelly thanked the President for the condolences extended for the 10 US servicemen who perished in the helicopter crash.

"Kelly thanked the President for the expression of condolences," Golez said, adding that the incident should not hamper operations against the Abu Sayyaf Islamist rebels holding American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap hostage in Basilan.

US and Philippine officials said the joint war games. dubbed Balikatan 02-1, would go on despite the tragedy.

"Although we have lost 10 good men, eight army and two air force, we will continue with our mission," Wurster said.

"We came here to conduct the mission (for) the President of the Philippines and the President of the United States, committed to working together against terrorism in the Philippines," he added.

Wurster said all debris recovered from the crash scene, among them a pilot’s helmet, a chair, medical kits, combat rations and a left shoe, would be handed over to US investigators.

A team of experts from the US Army Safety e at Fort Rucker in Alabama will arrive to investigate the crash as the cause remained a mystery.

Some fishermen said they heard an explosion before the chopper went down, but others said it plummeted in flames then exploded on impact.

Officials have ruled out hostile ground fire as a cause of the crash.

More than 200 Filipino and US soldiers, assisted by commercial ships and scores of Filipino fishermen, scoured a vast expanse of waters off the Zamboangita town in Negros Oriental province.

Divers from both countries were taking part in the search in an area which reaches 1,250 feet down at its deepest point, But their efforts were being hampered by strong currents and heavy winds, said Philippine Air Force Brig. Gen. Marcial Ilagan.

"Up to this point in time, we were hoping there will be survivors, but the chances are getting nil," Ilagan told reports in Dumaguete City.

The huge MH-47E Chinook crashed into the sea during a night flight from Basilan to Mactan Air Base in Cebu City.

Officials have said a beacon from the wreckage was traced to an area some 600 feet deep, but the divers failed to recover it.

The MH-47 series are upgraded versions of the CH-47 Chinook troop-carrying helicopters and were adopted for night operations and other work by elite troops.

Despite the disaster, Wurster said they will continue using the Chinook in pursuance of their mission in Mindanao, adding that as he spoke, one of the remaining two Chinooks was flying.

"They are on the alert posture primarily, to evacuate anybody from Basilan who is hurt on injured, or have any sort of accident. And if I have a requirement to fly those helicopters today, I would do it," Wurster said.

He also ruled out changing the Chinook with the Blackhawk version.

"The Chinook is a tremendous airplane and we have complete faith and confidence in the Chinook. The Blackhawk could serve our mission well, but the Chinook provides us the lift that we need for this mission," he stressed.

Memorial services in Cebu tomorrow

Memorial services for the 10 fatalities are to be held tomorrow in Cebu City where other US servicemen were on standby to provide logistics support for the planned six-month exercise.

Wurster said continuing the exercise would "honor those who perished in the crash."

Pentagon identified the fatalities as Maj. Curtis D. Feistner, Capt. Bartt D. Owens, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jody L. Egnor, Staff Sergeants James P. Dorrity, Kerry W. Fritt and Bruce A. Rushforth Jr., Sgt. Jeremy D. Foshee and Spec. Thomas F. Allison, all of the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment based at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

The two others were Master Sgt. William L. McDaniel II and Staff Sgt. Juan M. Ridout, both of the US Air Force’s 353rd Special Operations Group based at Kadena Air Base.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes expressed sympathy for the families of the victims.

"On behalf of the entire Department of National Defense, I wish to convey my heartfelt sympathies to the families, friends and loved ones left behind by the victims of the ill-fated MH-47E Chinook 42. Our prayers go out to the equally heroic people they left behind.," Reyes said. "Their lives were not lost in vain."

Reyes also cited the entire US contingent as "highly dedicated, professional and competent soldiers."

"They knew the challenges as well as the risks of their chosen profession. Every single day, they offered their best and their all to protect the freedom and democracy of America and its allies," Reyes added.

The fatalities were part of a 660-strong US contingent in the maneuvers in Zamboanga City and Basilan meant to upgrade the capability and efficiency of Filipino soldiers in combating the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf, listed by Washington as an international terrorist group linked to the al Qaeda network led by Osama bin Laden, still holds hostage the Burnham couple and Yap for about nine months now.

Bin Laden had been tagged as mastermind in the Sept., 11 terrorist attack in Washington and New York.

Meanwhile, elements of the US strike force moved closer to the Abu Sayyaf lairs in central Basilan as they joined their Filipino counterparts tracking down the terrorists.

Their deployment to the advance command posts of the Philippine Army in Basilan came as delivery of the entire 160-strong US contingent of special forces was completed.

Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Southern Command based in Zamboanga, said the US troops will be split into batches of 12 men that will be assigned to at least 11 Army battalions, two Marine battalions, one Scout Ranger Battalion and the Light Reaction Company. — With Christina Mendez