A memorial service is scheduled Saturday for Lt. Edward Randall O'Neill, 27, a Lafayette Hill native who is missing and presumed dead following a naval helicopter crash last week in the Atlantic Ocean.
The helicopter went down about 500 miles off the coast of Bermuda during a routine training operation Monday. Two other men were lost and presumed dead, while a fourth was rescued and hospitalized with a broken wrist and dislocated hip.
Lt. O'Neill was one of two pilots on the helicopter, which was attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Inchon en route to the Mediterranean out of Norfolk, Va. Lt. O'Neill's brother, Kenneth, said the helicopter crew was conducting nighttime search-and-rescue practice.
"We didn't hear until Tuesday morning when we got a call," Kenneth O'Neill said. "That day he was still missing. We waited through the whole day, and around 7 p.m. that night they called off the search."
Lt. O'Neill, his wife, Michelle, and their 1-year-old son, Michael, lived in Portsmouth, Va.
Born in Philadelphia, Lt. O'Neill grew up in Lafayette Hill. He went to St. Philip Neri grade school and graduated from La Salle High School in 1984. After a year at Villanova University he transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., graduating in 1989 with a degree in history. After receiving his commission as an ensign, he attended flight training and was designated a naval aviator in March 1991.
"He loved the Navy and he loved flying," his brother said.
"One of the things I'll never forget about him is the way he used to talk about the Navy, and the uniforms, the way he looked. I used to ask him about his shoes, how they get so shiny. He said, 'That's classified. If I told you, they'd have to shoot me.' He had a good sense of humor."
An HH-46 Sea Knight from Inchon (LPH-12) crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 miles northeast of Bermuda. The twin-rotor helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6, Det 1, NAS Norfolk, VA. Missing and presumed dead are LT. Edward "Randy" O'Neill, LT. Michael Tanner, and AT3 Patrick Bleakney. Airman Brian Darley was rescued from the sea by a boat from Trenton (LPD-14) and treated for a hip dislocation, broken wrist and minor scrapes and bruises. Inchon had commenced a scheduled six-month Mediterranean Sea deployment on 5 Jan. 10 Jan 1994.
In May 1991 Lt. O'Neill reported to the Helicopter Combat Support Squadron for initial training and later that year saw his first tour of duty in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Detroit, on which he served as assistant operations officer. He left with the USS Inchon on Jan. 5, serving as divisions officer, weapons officer and helicopter procedural officer.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Wensing said that around twilight last Monday, the USS Inchon lost radio contact with the helicopter crew and initiated a search, which continued throughout Tuesday. The survivor and some debris were found, but it is not known whether the helicopter is still intact.
Wensing said the aircraft is believed to be in water 3 to 3 1/2 miles deep. He said the air temperature was in the 70s and the water temperature about 65 degrees Monday evening.
He said it would take several weeks or months for the investigation to be completed. At that time, he said, officials would determine whether to try to raise the aircraft.
In addition to his wife, son and brother, Lt. O'Neill is survived by his father, William, of Lafayette Hill, and a sister, Sharon O'Neill Hillston of Harleysville.
A memorial service was held for family members and command personnel at the naval base in Norfolk Thursday.
Saturday's service will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 437 Ridge Pike in Lafayette Hill. A scholarship fund is being set up for Lt. O'Neill's son.
The helicopter went down about 500 miles off the coast of Bermuda during a routine training operation Monday. Two other men were lost and presumed dead, while a fourth was rescued and hospitalized with a broken wrist and dislocated hip.
Lt. O'Neill was one of two pilots on the helicopter, which was attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Inchon en route to the Mediterranean out of Norfolk, Va. Lt. O'Neill's brother, Kenneth, said the helicopter crew was conducting nighttime search-and-rescue practice.
"We didn't hear until Tuesday morning when we got a call," Kenneth O'Neill said. "That day he was still missing. We waited through the whole day, and around 7 p.m. that night they called off the search."
Lt. O'Neill, his wife, Michelle, and their 1-year-old son, Michael, lived in Portsmouth, Va.
Born in Philadelphia, Lt. O'Neill grew up in Lafayette Hill. He went to St. Philip Neri grade school and graduated from La Salle High School in 1984. After a year at Villanova University he transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., graduating in 1989 with a degree in history. After receiving his commission as an ensign, he attended flight training and was designated a naval aviator in March 1991.
"He loved the Navy and he loved flying," his brother said.
"One of the things I'll never forget about him is the way he used to talk about the Navy, and the uniforms, the way he looked. I used to ask him about his shoes, how they get so shiny. He said, 'That's classified. If I told you, they'd have to shoot me.' He had a good sense of humor."
An HH-46 Sea Knight from Inchon (LPH-12) crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 miles northeast of Bermuda. The twin-rotor helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6, Det 1, NAS Norfolk, VA. Missing and presumed dead are LT. Edward "Randy" O'Neill, LT. Michael Tanner, and AT3 Patrick Bleakney. Airman Brian Darley was rescued from the sea by a boat from Trenton (LPD-14) and treated for a hip dislocation, broken wrist and minor scrapes and bruises. Inchon had commenced a scheduled six-month Mediterranean Sea deployment on 5 Jan. 10 Jan 1994.
In May 1991 Lt. O'Neill reported to the Helicopter Combat Support Squadron for initial training and later that year saw his first tour of duty in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Detroit, on which he served as assistant operations officer. He left with the USS Inchon on Jan. 5, serving as divisions officer, weapons officer and helicopter procedural officer.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Wensing said that around twilight last Monday, the USS Inchon lost radio contact with the helicopter crew and initiated a search, which continued throughout Tuesday. The survivor and some debris were found, but it is not known whether the helicopter is still intact.
Wensing said the aircraft is believed to be in water 3 to 3 1/2 miles deep. He said the air temperature was in the 70s and the water temperature about 65 degrees Monday evening.
He said it would take several weeks or months for the investigation to be completed. At that time, he said, officials would determine whether to try to raise the aircraft.
In addition to his wife, son and brother, Lt. O'Neill is survived by his father, William, of Lafayette Hill, and a sister, Sharon O'Neill Hillston of Harleysville.
A memorial service was held for family members and command personnel at the naval base in Norfolk Thursday.
Saturday's service will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 437 Ridge Pike in Lafayette Hill. A scholarship fund is being set up for Lt. O'Neill's son.
A memorial service is scheduled Saturday for Lt. Edward Randall O'Neill, 27, a Lafayette Hill native who is missing and presumed dead following a naval helicopter crash last week in the Atlantic Ocean.
The helicopter went down about 500 miles off the coast of Bermuda during a routine training operation Monday. Two other men were lost and presumed dead, while a fourth was rescued and hospitalized with a broken wrist and dislocated hip.
Lt. O'Neill was one of two pilots on the helicopter, which was attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Inchon en route to the Mediterranean out of Norfolk, Va. Lt. O'Neill's brother, Kenneth, said the helicopter crew was conducting nighttime search-and-rescue practice.
"We didn't hear until Tuesday morning when we got a call," Kenneth O'Neill said. "That day he was still missing. We waited through the whole day, and around 7 p.m. that night they called off the search."
Lt. O'Neill, his wife, Michelle, and their 1-year-old son, Michael, lived in Portsmouth, Va.
Born in Philadelphia, Lt. O'Neill grew up in Lafayette Hill. He went to St. Philip Neri grade school and graduated from La Salle High School in 1984. After a year at Villanova University he transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., graduating in 1989 with a degree in history. After receiving his commission as an ensign, he attended flight training and was designated a naval aviator in March 1991.
"He loved the Navy and he loved flying," his brother said.
"One of the things I'll never forget about him is the way he used to talk about the Navy, and the uniforms, the way he looked. I used to ask him about his shoes, how they get so shiny. He said, 'That's classified. If I told you, they'd have to shoot me.' He had a good sense of humor."
An HH-46 Sea Knight from Inchon (LPH-12) crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 miles northeast of Bermuda. The twin-rotor helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6, Det 1, NAS Norfolk, VA. Missing and presumed dead are LT. Edward "Randy" O'Neill, LT. Michael Tanner, and AT3 Patrick Bleakney. Airman Brian Darley was rescued from the sea by a boat from Trenton (LPD-14) and treated for a hip dislocation, broken wrist and minor scrapes and bruises. Inchon had commenced a scheduled six-month Mediterranean Sea deployment on 5 Jan. 10 Jan 1994.
In May 1991 Lt. O'Neill reported to the Helicopter Combat Support Squadron for initial training and later that year saw his first tour of duty in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Detroit, on which he served as assistant operations officer. He left with the USS Inchon on Jan. 5, serving as divisions officer, weapons officer and helicopter procedural officer.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Wensing said that around twilight last Monday, the USS Inchon lost radio contact with the helicopter crew and initiated a search, which continued throughout Tuesday. The survivor and some debris were found, but it is not known whether the helicopter is still intact.
Wensing said the aircraft is believed to be in water 3 to 3 1/2 miles deep. He said the air temperature was in the 70s and the water temperature about 65 degrees Monday evening.
He said it would take several weeks or months for the investigation to be completed. At that time, he said, officials would determine whether to try to raise the aircraft.
In addition to his wife, son and brother, Lt. O'Neill is survived by his father, William, of Lafayette Hill, and a sister, Sharon O'Neill Hillston of Harleysville.
A memorial service was held for family members and command personnel at the naval base in Norfolk Thursday.
Saturday's service will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 437 Ridge Pike in Lafayette Hill. A scholarship fund is being set up for Lt. O'Neill's son.
The helicopter went down about 500 miles off the coast of Bermuda during a routine training operation Monday. Two other men were lost and presumed dead, while a fourth was rescued and hospitalized with a broken wrist and dislocated hip.
Lt. O'Neill was one of two pilots on the helicopter, which was attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Inchon en route to the Mediterranean out of Norfolk, Va. Lt. O'Neill's brother, Kenneth, said the helicopter crew was conducting nighttime search-and-rescue practice.
"We didn't hear until Tuesday morning when we got a call," Kenneth O'Neill said. "That day he was still missing. We waited through the whole day, and around 7 p.m. that night they called off the search."
Lt. O'Neill, his wife, Michelle, and their 1-year-old son, Michael, lived in Portsmouth, Va.
Born in Philadelphia, Lt. O'Neill grew up in Lafayette Hill. He went to St. Philip Neri grade school and graduated from La Salle High School in 1984. After a year at Villanova University he transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., graduating in 1989 with a degree in history. After receiving his commission as an ensign, he attended flight training and was designated a naval aviator in March 1991.
"He loved the Navy and he loved flying," his brother said.
"One of the things I'll never forget about him is the way he used to talk about the Navy, and the uniforms, the way he looked. I used to ask him about his shoes, how they get so shiny. He said, 'That's classified. If I told you, they'd have to shoot me.' He had a good sense of humor."
An HH-46 Sea Knight from Inchon (LPH-12) crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 miles northeast of Bermuda. The twin-rotor helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6, Det 1, NAS Norfolk, VA. Missing and presumed dead are LT. Edward "Randy" O'Neill, LT. Michael Tanner, and AT3 Patrick Bleakney. Airman Brian Darley was rescued from the sea by a boat from Trenton (LPD-14) and treated for a hip dislocation, broken wrist and minor scrapes and bruises. Inchon had commenced a scheduled six-month Mediterranean Sea deployment on 5 Jan. 10 Jan 1994.
In May 1991 Lt. O'Neill reported to the Helicopter Combat Support Squadron for initial training and later that year saw his first tour of duty in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Detroit, on which he served as assistant operations officer. He left with the USS Inchon on Jan. 5, serving as divisions officer, weapons officer and helicopter procedural officer.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Wensing said that around twilight last Monday, the USS Inchon lost radio contact with the helicopter crew and initiated a search, which continued throughout Tuesday. The survivor and some debris were found, but it is not known whether the helicopter is still intact.
Wensing said the aircraft is believed to be in water 3 to 3 1/2 miles deep. He said the air temperature was in the 70s and the water temperature about 65 degrees Monday evening.
He said it would take several weeks or months for the investigation to be completed. At that time, he said, officials would determine whether to try to raise the aircraft.
In addition to his wife, son and brother, Lt. O'Neill is survived by his father, William, of Lafayette Hill, and a sister, Sharon O'Neill Hillston of Harleysville.
A memorial service was held for family members and command personnel at the naval base in Norfolk Thursday.
Saturday's service will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 437 Ridge Pike in Lafayette Hill. A scholarship fund is being set up for Lt. O'Neill's son.
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