PHOENIX

Helicopter found; family of Phoenix Marine hold out hope

Paul Giblin
The Republic | azcentral.com
  • Searchers find wreckage of helicopter that local Marine was aboard in Nepal.
  • %22It is unlikely that there are any survivors at this time%2C%22 a U.S. general in Nepal says.
  • Family members of Goldwater High graduate Jacob Hug hold out hope for his survival.
Jim and Andrea Hug, hold a photo of their son, Lance Corporal Jacob Hug, a videographer in the U.S. Marines. He was aboard a military helicopter that disappeared while performing a humanitarian mission in Nepal.

The family of Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob "Jake" Hug of Phoenix held out hope today that the Phoenix man survived a helicopter crash in Nepal.

Searchers found wreckage of the helicopter on the side of a mountain in dense forest Friday afternoon Nepal time, Marine Lt. Gen. John Wissler told reporters at a press conference in Kathmandu. Service members found the helicopter at approximately 11,000 feet in rugged terrain, he said.

Hug's parents, Jim and Andrea, were in contact with Marines throughout Friday morning, but had yet to receive specific confirmation about the fate of their son and the other members of UH-1Y Huey helicopter. The crew was delivering food and other supplies to victims of two earthquakes.

Family members appreciated the thoughts and prayers from community members, Jim Hug said.

The chopper went missing Tuesday with six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers aboard.

"Because of the nature of the wreckage, it is unlikely that there are any survivors at this time," Wissler told reporters. "Our prayers are with the Marines and the Nepalese soldiers and their families. We all mourn this tragic loss of life."

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Positive identities of remains have not yet been possible. Wissler said he suspended recovery efforts for the evening because of the difficult terrain, below-freezing temperatures and violent winds and thunderstorms. Efforts were expected to resume in daylight.

The helicopter was found about 50 miles northeast of Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.

President Barack Obama on Friday said the nation's prayers are with families of the Marines and Nepalese soldiers who were on the aircraft.

"They went to that remote land to help people who suffered devastating losses in a terrible earthquake. They represent a truth that guides our work around the world -- when our friends are in need, America helps," the president said in Washington.

"Sometimes those in uniform get attention only when there's a battle. But they do so much more than that, looking out for folks who are vulnerable or having a tough time, experienced a disaster. And it can involve great risk, great sacrifice," Obama said.

Hug, a graduate of Barry Goldwater High School, was part of the U.S. humanitarian effort after two earthquakes that have killed more than 8,000 people and destroyed 600,000 homes during the past three weeks.

Hug, 22, is based in Okinawa, Japan, and was on temporary assignment in Nepal for about a week before the helicopter disappeared.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jacob Hug, is a combat videographer. He and Marines onboard the missing helicopter were taking supplies to remote locations hit hard by the earthquake.

Hug and the others were taking tarps, rice and other supplies to remote locations that had been devastated by the quakes, his father said. Hug, a combat videographer, also was taking footage of relief efforts for the Defense Department.

Jim Hug noted Thursday that Marines are well trained for survival.

The aircraft was equipped with a first-aid kit, fire extinguisher and a radio, Army Maj. David Eastburn, U.S. Pacific Command spokesman, told ABC News. Marine air crews typically are equipped with other survival items, including cold-weather clothing, fire starters, compasses, flexible saws and tourniquets, he said.

"The survival radio, flares, signal strobes, signal mirrors, water, water purification tablets, survival blanket, knife, rope and other survival equipment are all carried on the individual crew members' vests," he told ABC.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jacob Hug is based in Okinawa, Japan, and was on temporary assignment in Nepal for about a week before the helicopter disappeared.

Jacob Hug spent his 22nd birthday on May 6 in Nepal contributing to the relief effort, a few days before he called home on Mother's Day.

"He said he was tired and he was ready to go back, and just all the nice things that a great son would say to his mother on Mother's Day," Jim Hug said.

Jacob Hug left for basic training just months after graduating from high school, his uncle Tim Hug said. The young man felt a sense of duty to his country and was happy in the Marines.

Jacob Hug is a voracious reader, his father said Thursday.

"We were just going through is his stuff in his bedroom the last couple of days in between the ups and downs of emotional breakdowns, going through his boxes and boxes and boxes of books that he keeps. He reads them not just once; he usually reads them like twice or three times, the ones that are like 1,000 pages-plus. He just devours them," Jim Hug said.

Jacob comes from a large family, including sister Courtney, 22; brothers Zach, 20, and Nathan 17; and twin brother and sister Carter and Sydney, 7. They adore him, Jim Hug said. "They seek him out. They talk about him all the time. They mention him in their prayers at night."