MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Marana Regional Airport held a ceremony Saturday morning honoring the 19 Marines who tragically lost their lives during a training mission when a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashed 25 years ago on April 8, 2000.
Each year, a ceremony is held to honor their memory. This year, the ceremony also included a candlelight vigil in the evening.
The 25th annual ceremony began with a bagpipe performance of the Marine Corps Hymn, symbolizing the values and pride of the Marine Corps—values that resonated throughout the event as service members delivered speeches, including Air Force pilot Peter Collins.
"I know a little bit about duty, honor, dedication, sacrifice, and I know a lot about Marines," Collins said during his remarks.
The ceremony honors the 19 Marines who died in the experimental aircraft crash. Lieutenant General Paul Rock was part of a team testing the V-22 Osprey that night.
“It’s been 25 years since I’ve been back here, and their memories are still strong of the friends and fellow Marines that we lost,” Rock said.
Among the fallen Marines was Major Brooks S. Gruber. His daughter, Brooke Gruber, traveled from Washington, D.C., to attend the ceremony for the first time since she was 10 years old. Now 25, she laid a rose in honor of her father.
“A lot of things went through my mind. 25 years of missing my dad and just thinking about what life would have been like,” she said.
But she reflected on what she does know about her father.
“He was a father, husband, star athlete, his call sign for the V-22 Osprey was Turtle,” she said.
“He was a lot of fun to be around, you know, great pilot, very accomplished aviator, and just a good man, good Marine,” Rock said of Major Gruber.
After the ceremony, Rock hugged Gruber—the first time since Gruber was an infant.
"It just made my heart just swell," Rock said. "I was so happy to see her."
Each conversation helps Gruber's memory of her father grow.
"It's so great to speak with a lot of the guys that were there that night of the accident and hear their stories about my father and connect with them," Gruber said.
Now that Gruber is older and has more time to travel, she said she'd like to attend the ceremonies more consistently.
“Seeing all the people who came today and being able to spend time with them just gives me a glimpse into my dad's life and allows me to almost bond with him,” she said.
Both Gruber and Rock expressed their gratitude to the town of Marana for honoring the fallen Marines each year.
"I really appreciate what the community has done to remember these Marines," Rock said. "It's so important, I think, for the families as well as just every Marine to know that their sacrifice is not something that's going to be forgotten."
"The people of Marana are so generous and giving and show that Marine Corps spirit and have that heart," Gruber said. "I'm so honored that each and every one of them put in all this hard work to memorialize them."
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
