Marine killed in Calif. skydiving mishap identified
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Comrades try to cope with the death of one of their members after he was killed in an skydiving accident near the Perris Valley Airport in Perris, Calif, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013.
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PERRIS, Calif. — The Marine from Camp Pendleton who was killed in a skydiving accident in Riverside County has been identified as a Colorado man.
Riverside County Coroner's officials on Wednesday identified the victim as 26-year-old Caleb Medley of Burlington, Colo.
According to a Los Angeles Times blog, Medley was a decorated combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistanan and received two combat Action Ribbons. He was an assistant radio operator with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, the Times reported.
Fire officials say they received a call of a skydiver down shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived near the Perris Valley Airport, they found a man had died.
Riverside County sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Lisa McConnell says the man was among a group of Marines who were conducting a military training exercise. McConnell couldn't say how many other Marines were involved or if there were problems with the victim's parachute.
Perris is a popular skydiving area about 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
