Honoring those lost in Osprey program

[Vulture6]

Honoring those lost in Osprey program
Submitted by: MCAS New River
Story Identification #: 2004826154048
Story by Sgt. Christine C. Odom


MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (Aug. 25, 2004) -- With the help of the Jacksonville community, Dr. Connie Gruber, an educator at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the wife of a former MCAS New River pilot, is seeking to honor those Marine Corps aviators who lost their lives in two Osprey accidents in 2000, by naming a Henderson Drive bridge over Mill Creek after Maj. Brooks S. Gruber, her husband.

Major Gruber, who was born and raised in Boston, but called Jacksonville, N.C., home, was one of 19 Marines who died in an Osprey crash on April 8, 2000 in Marana, Ariz. Eight months later in December, four more Marines died in another Osprey accident, this time in Onslow County.

To ensure that the memory of those pilots and aircrew are not forgotten, Gruber and her five-year-old daughter, Brooke, appeared before the Jacksonville City Council on Aug. 4 and appealed to have the bridge adorned with signs reading: "In Memory of Major Brooks S. Gruber, to honor USMC Osprey Pioneers, 2000."

"This memorial bridge will represent a concrete way in which I can continue to teach my daughter about the wonderful man who was her father and the powerful plan that God had for his life," Gruber said. "(He was) a man she knew for the first six months of her life and can only remember through pictures and stories that I share with her."

In support of Gruber’s request, Col. Stephen L. Forand, Station commanding officer, and Lt. Col. Ronald S. Culp, Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron-22 executive officer, spoke to the council on her behalf.

Recognizing that Gruber's involvement in the community personified the ideal Marine Corps squadron member, Forand, of Fall River, Mass., said, "It's more than just an aircraft that makes up a squadron, it's the people who make up the crew and the community they live in. Often, members of a squadron are deeply involved in the local community and (Major) Gruber was one of those."

Sharing the same sentiments as Forand about his fellow Osprey pilot, Culp described Maj. Gruber as a one-of-a- kind person who had a diverse background, experience and was a top performer in his field. Completely irreplaceable, Maj. Gruber was a talent lost to the Marine Corps, as well as the community.

"It's deserving; the bridge naming is a permanent way to remember 'Chuckie' Gruber and 'to honor the USMC Osprey Pioneers' who were lost," added Culp, from Satellite Beach, Fla.

Pastor Michael Turner, of the First Baptist Church, in a letter to the council wrote, "We knew him to be an unusually dedicated husband, father, Christian and Marine. The term 'Great American' is used a great deal, but in Brooks' case it was absolutely true.

"It would be a fitting tribute not only for him, but also for the other pioneers of the Osprey program, of which Brooks was in many ways a representative."

The City Council unanimously agreed to ask the N.C. Board of Transportation to approve naming the bridge after Maj. Gruber.

"For both military and civilian citizens of Jacksonville, I would like the memorial bridge to represent hope for the future, courage to live dreams, and service to honor community and country," Gruber concluded.




Major Brooks S. Gruber was one of 19 Marines who died in the first Osprey crash on April 8, 2000.

[TejanoRey]

I was at MCAS New River from 99-03 and was there for all the loses...I was on duty on two of the days the Osprey's went down...one in Arizona and one about 6-8 miles off base...many of my fellow Marine brothers worked, lived, trained, were great friends with these Marines...

RIP