The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) have announced the death of a Marine who was lost at sea while conducting operations in the Caribbean.
Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, 21, of Florida, was declared deceased on February 10, 2026. According to officials, Oforah fell overboard from the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) on the evening of February 7.
He was the focus of an extensive, around-the-clock 72-hour search and rescue effort.
“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” said Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the 22nd MEU (SOC). “The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten.”
The search operation concluded February 10 and involved multiple branches of the U.S. military. The effort covered a wide area and included five U.S. Navy ships, a rigid-hull inflatable boat, and 10 aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The mission was also supported by National Technical Means.
Aircraft involved in the search included six helicopters — two Navy MH-60 Sierras, two MH-60 Romeos, one Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper, and one UH-1Y Venom — along with a Navy P-8 Poseidon, two Air Force HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, and an Air Force MQ-9 Reaper.
The nonstop operation included hundreds of flight hours, extensive aviation support, and search efforts by the USS Iwo Jima’s small-boat and surface rescue swimmer teams.
Lance Cpl. Oforah was an infantry rifleman. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2023 and graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in February 2024. He later completed the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
At the time of his death, Oforah was deployed with Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 22nd MEU (SOC), aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.