Negligent Homicide Charges In Crash That Killed Illinois Sailor

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The former commanders of two guided-missile destroyers that were involved in separate fatal collisions last year now face charges including negligent homicide and dereliction of duty in the deaths of 17 sailors, including an Illinois sailor killed in the Aug. 21 collision involving the USS John S. McCain. Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, of Decatur, was initially declared missing after the McCain collided with the tanker ALNIC MC in waters near Singapore.

Palmer was later named among 10 sailors killed in the collision. The bodies of some of the sailors were found in sealed compartments inside the USS John McCain, while others were recovered by divers.

Palmer enlisted in the Navy in April 2016. He previously received a National Defense Service Medal. He is a 2012 graduate of Sangamon Valley High School and 2015 graduate of Richland Community College.

His brother said he always dreamed of serving his countryand initially hoped to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, according to the Herald-Review. After an eye injury, he opted for the Navy and found a newfound love of sailing and seeing the world, his brother said.

Two months before the McCain incident, another Naval Guided Missile Destroyer — the U.S.S. Fitzgerald — was involved in a June 17 collision with a container ship off the coast of Japan. Seven sailors died in that incident, the greatest loss of life suffered by the Navy since the bombing of the Cole 17 years earlier.

Now, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, who commanded the USS Fitzgerald, and Cmdr. Alfredo Sanchez, who led the USS John S. McCain, have been charged and also face the possibility of court-martial.

"After careful deliberation, today Adm. Frank Caldwell announced that Uniform Code of Military Justice charges are being preferred against individual service members in relation to the collisions," Acting U.S. Navy Chief of Information Capt. Greg Hicks said.

Read more via Across America Patch.

Photo via U.S. Navy