Sergeant Matthew K. Bylski has been identified as the Marine who died Tuesday in a tactical vehicle rollover accident, the U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday.
The incident at Camp Pendleton, California, occurred during training while the vehicle was moving around 6 p.m. local time with 14 other Marines.
The Marine Corps said that “one Marine remains hospitalized in fair condition” and that “the others have been treated and released.”
Col. Sean Dynan, commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, remembers Bylski as “a leader.”
The main gate at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on June 16, 2006.
Sandy Huffaker/Getty
Missing snowmobile couple found dead after Alaskan storm hampers search
“Words cannot express our sorrow for the tragic loss of Sergeant Bylski; an outstanding Marine and leader within his platoon. The MEU – Marines who lived, trained and learned from Sergeant Bylski mourn with his family and friends. The entire family of the 15th MEU ‘Vanguard ‘ is affected by his absence,” he said.
Bylski joined the Marine Corps in January 2019 and was assigned to Battalion 1/5 Landing Team, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, where he served as a vehicle commander.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Matthew-Bylski-12142304-6d47b8316009419689726038873a9470.jpg)
Sergeant Matthew K. Bylski.
A doctor accused of using his own sperm to impregnate a patient — and the family claims they discovered it after a DNA test
During his service, Bylski received multiple honors: two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, a Navy Unit Meritorious Service Commendation, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Medal, and a Naval Service Deployment Ribbon.
“He absolutely loved being in the Marine Corps,” Blyski’s father, Ken Blyski, told Military.com.
“He didn’t follow anybody,” Ken said when asked what his son was like growing up. “He did what he wanted to do. It didn’t matter to him. He did his thing no matter what. … He was just a great kid. I say kid. … He grew into a great man.”
In August, the 15th MEU completed its first Composite Naval Air-Ground Task Force exercise. The eleven-day training (known as Realistic Urban Training) was held at seven locations throughout Arizona, California and Nevada.
According to the press release, the Marines went through “amphibious assaults, expeditionary assaults, tactical extraction of aircraft and personnel, and military-assisted evacuation from a simulated U.S. consulate.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“RUT is the first ‘prime-time training’ event where we bring the entire MAGTF together to plan and execute as a team. The trip to Yuma provided us with training facilities to conduct expeditionary operations and proved to be a summer leadership laboratory as we progressed through the heat of 115 degrees and a hurricane,” Dynan said in a statement to the release. “The lessons learned here lay a solid foundation for our future training and deployment.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education