Military officials have identified Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, a 22-year-old U.S. Marine from Long Beach, California, as one of four people killed when a military-contracted plane crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines.
Durham was aboard the aircraft, which was conducting a routine intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission at the request of the Philippine government, according to a statement from Camp Pendleton, California. Three defense contractors also lost their lives in the crash, which remains under investigation.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines confirmed the plane went down in Maguindanao del Sur province. Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a local safety officer, reported that all four bodies were recovered from the wreckage in Ampatuan town. Witnesses said they saw smoke coming from the aircraft before hearing an explosion and watching it plummet to the ground near a cluster of farmhouses.
“Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps — exemplifying composure, intelligence, and selfless leadership,” Lt. Col. Mabel B. Annunziata, commanding officer of 1st Radio Battalion, said in the statement. “He was deeply respected and loved by his fellow Marines.”
Durham was an electronic intelligence and electromagnetic warfare analyst assigned to the 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group. He had served in the Marine Corps since January 2021 and had recently been promoted to sergeant on February 1.
His service was recognized with several honors, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Meritorious Mast, and the Naval Aircrew Insignia.
For decades, U.S. forces have been stationed in the southern Philippines to train and advise Filipino troops in their fight against Muslim militant groups in the region.
