The US Navy has released the identity of an officer who went missing in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea on July 1, 2026.
The helicopter crash prompted an intensified search operation that lasted more than 102 hours to find the missing sailor.
The U.S. Navy on Tuesday (July 7) revealed the identity of missing Oregon sailor Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, a native of Oakland, a town in Douglas County, near Sutherlin.
According to the U.S. 5th Fleet, the crew aboard an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the USS George HW Bush made an “emergency landing” at sea before dawn on July 1.
The Navy rescued three of the four sailors from the helicopter amid continued search efforts for Edwards over the next hours and days.
The search operation involved more than 14,000 square miles and several U.S. Air Force aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, helicopter squadrons, anti-submarine squadrons and aircraft, according to the U.S. Navy.
Who was Cdr. Gabriel Edwards?
Commander Gabe Edwards has served in the United States Navy for the past two decades.
Edwards graduated from Norfolk State University in 2006 with a degree in physics and was commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer through Naval ROTC, a prestigious U.S. Navy program where students are trained to become officers in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps.
After graduating from flight school in 2008 and accumulating years of flying experience, Edwards assumed command of his squadron, the HSC-5 Nightdippers, in July 2025.
Cdr. Edwards is survived by his wife Rebecca and two children.
US Navy investigating cause of helicopter crash; however, he ruled out any possibility of being brought down by hostile action.
