US Marines killed in Australian aircraft crash were from Illinois, Virginia and Colorado

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The three U.S. Marines killed in a tiltrotor aircraft crash during a training exercise in Australia were from Illinois, Virginia and Colorado. The V-22B Osprey with 23 Marines on board crashed Sunday in tropical forest on Melville Island while taking part in a drill that includes the militaries of Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor. The Marines said three of the injured survivors remained in the hospital Tuesday, with one in critical condition. The U.S. has based up to 2,500 Marines in the Australian city of Darwin for six months a year since 2012 as part of the U.S. military pivot to Asia to counter China’s growing influence in the region.