Crystal Lake Marine killed in Afghanistan copter crash

A native of Crystal Lake was among six Hawaii-based Marines killed when their helicopter crashed Thursday in Afghanistan, military officials said.

Capt. Nathan McHone, 29, a 2001 graduate of Crystal Lake South High School, was sent in August with the squadron on a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan, said base spokeswoman 1st Lt. Diann Olson.

The Marines killed were Stites, 23, of North Beach, Md.; Cpl. Kevin Reinhard, 25, of Colonia, N.J.; and Cpl. Joseph Logan, 22, of Willis, Texas. All six were based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

McHone and Bartle were the pilots of the aircraft, while Riddick was the helicopter's crew chief. All six Marines had served previously in Afghanistan, with Riddick on his fourth deployment, having served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Olson said.

Erick Syversen, of Chicago, was a classmate of McHone's at Crystal Lake South. “He was always friendly, really easygoing,” he said. According to his Facebook profile, McHone graduated from Western Michigan University in 2005.

McHone was commissioned into the Marine Corps in September 2005 and joined the squadron in October 2009, according to information posted on Marine Corps Base Hawaii Facebook page.

His personal awards include two Air Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the NATO ISAF Medal.

The crash in the southern province of Helmand was the deadliest in Afghanistan since August, when 30 American troops died after a Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down in Wardak Province in the center of the country.

The cause of the crash was being investigated, but a statement issued by the NATO international military coalition said there was no enemy activity in the area when it happened.

German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the NATO coalition in Kabul, said officials were looking at a “technical fault” as the possible culprit.

The Vietnam War-era CH-53D is the same model as a helicopter that crashed and killed a Marine in a bay off Hawaii on March 29. An investigation revealed mechanical failure caused that accident.

“These men were not only experienced Marines, but they were husbands, sons, brothers and dear friends,” Olson said in a statement. “The memories of our fallen Marines are engraved in each and every one who had the privilege to know and serve alongside them, and we will never forget the sacrifice they made to our country and our Corps.”

Ÿ Associated Press contributed to this report.