US Marine declared dead after disappearing from ship, military says

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SAN DIEGO — A U.S. Marine who was reported missing from a ship off the Southern California coast last week has been declared dead, military officials announced June 29.Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco, 21, was reported missing from the USS Anchorage, an amphibious transport dock ship homeported at Naval Base San Diego, on the morning of June 25, according to a news release from the I Marine Expeditionary Force. Ortiz Canseco was serving aboard the ship during integrated training between the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, officials said.The I Marine Expeditionary Force, which is a Marine Air Ground Task Force based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California, said Ortiz Canseco was lost at sea and declared deceased on June 27. His disappearance prompted an "extensive search and rescue operation," which transitioned into a recovery operation, according to officials.Officials did not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding Ortiz Canseco's disappearance. The incident remains under investigation, officials said."On behalf of the Marines and Sailors of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lance Cpl. Ortiz Canseco," Col. Richard Alvarez, the commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said in a statement. “He earned the title of United States Marine and served his country with honor and commitment. We mourn alongside his family, and we remain committed to bringing him home.”Who was Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco?Ortiz Canseco enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 2023 and received the title of U.S. Marine in June 2023, according to officials. After completing recruit training and the Infantry Marine Course, he became a 0311 Rifleman and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, at Camp Pendleton.He then transferred to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, officials said. Most recently, Ortiz Canseco was temporarily assigned to the USS Anchorage in preparation for training between the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, according to officials.Ortiz Canseco was a recipient of both the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, officials said.Latest incident involving missing US military membersThe disappearance of Ortiz Canseco marks the latest incident in recent weeks involving the U.S. military searching for missing service members.In May, two U.S. Army soldiers went missing in Morocco after participating in military exercises called the African Lion 26, the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement at the time. The African Lion is an annual joint exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia that aims to "strengthen interoperability among U.S. forces, NATO Allies, and African partner nations," according to the U.S. Army of Europe and Africa website.The soldiers went missing on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area near the city of Tan Tan in southwestern Morocco, USA TODAY previously reported. More than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civil personnel were involved in the search operation.The bodies of the soldiers, who were later identified as 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, and Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, was recovered more than a week later, according to the Army. NBC News, The Associated Press, and the BBC reported that the soldiers fell off a cliff during an off‑duty recreational hike.Contributing: Drew Pittock and Kate Perez, USA TODAY