Lance Corporal Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, a 21-year-old U.S. Marine based in Florida, has been declared dead after falling overboard from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima while it was operating in the Caribbean Sea.
According to an official statement from the United States Marine Corps’ Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, Oforah went over the side of the ship on the evening of February 7, 2026. A massive 72-hour, multi-branch search and rescue operation involving five U.S. Navy ships, aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, and rescue swimmer teams was launched but failed to locate him. He was officially pronounced deceased on February 10 after the effort was called off.
“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” said Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the 22nd MEU (SOC). “The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten.”
Oforah, an infantry rifleman, enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2023 and graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in February 2024. He completed infantry training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment before deploying with his unit aboard Iwo Jima.
The circumstances surrounding how he fell from the ship have not been released, and the incident remains under formal military investigation.
Oforah’s death marks a rare, publicly disclosed loss of life during U.S. naval operations in the Caribbean.
Elijah Adeyemi
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