The U.S. Marine Corps said Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, 21, of Florida, died after falling overboard from the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, during the United States’ expanded military posture in the Caribbean Sea. A report about Oforah’s fall was made Saturday, the Marine Corps said in a press release, and he was declared dead Tuesday.
In its report of the incident, the Marine Corps said the military used five Navy ships, 10 aircraft and an Air Force Reaper drone in what it described as “an extensive, around-the-clock 72-hour search and rescue operation.” The release said the Marine Corps announced his death after the search-and-rescue effort ended and he was declared dead.
The Marine Corps said it appeared to be the first publicly announced death of a service member tied to the U.S. military operation in the region. The broader U.S. posture includes a buildup of forces in the Caribbean Sea ahead of a series of strikes on alleged drug boats, the Associated Press reported, including actions that began in September, seizing sanctioned oil tankers and conducting a surprise raid last month that resulted in the capture of Venezuela’s then-president, Nicolás Maduro.
Separately, U.S. Southern Command said the destroyer USS Truxtun and the supply ship USNS Supply collided while the warship was getting a new load of supplies. Southern Command said two personnel reported minor injuries and that both were in stable condition, adding that both ships were sailing safely afterward.
The collision occurred as the supply ship was refueling the cruiser USS Gettysburg, Southern Command said, and the Truxtun approached from the other side. A U.S. official familiar with the collision, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the mishap was under investigation, described how such maneuvers typically occur by having vessels sail parallel and using hoses and cables to transfer fuel and supplies across the gap.
Officials said the Truxtun left its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, on Feb. 3. The Navy said the destroyer returned to port for several days to conduct “an emergent equipment repair” and then set sail for the Caribbean on Feb. 6, according to a Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operational details.
The Associated Press reported that in the Caribbean, the naval presence stands at 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the Iwo Jima and two other amphibious assault ships carrying thousands of Marines. The AP said the Truxtun-Gettysburg refueling collision is rare and noted a prior Navy collision in February 2025 involving the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a merchant vessel near the Suez Canal that resulted in minor damage but no injuries.