A Marine officer gingerly adjusted a picture of Cpl. Spencer Collart so it wouldn't blow away in the light breeze that drifted through the Marine Family Garden on Tuesday, minutes before the young crew chief was posthumously awarded for valor after attempting to rescue two trapped pilots in an Osprey crash last year.
Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps, awarded the service's highest noncombat award for heroism -- the Navy and Marine Corps Medal -- to Collart's family in a small but well-attended ceremony at Marine Corps Barracks Washington, right outside of the head Marine's own home.
Collart, a young, but seasoned crew chief, escaped the aircraft in August 2023 after it crashed on an island north of the Australian mainland during a training exercise. Realizing that the two Osprey pilots -- Maj. Tobin Lewis and Capt. Eleanor LeBeau -- were still trapped inside the burning aircraft, he reentered the wreckage in an attempt to save them, but all three tragically perished.
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"That decision reflected the highest commitment we have as Marines, to never leave a fellow Marine behind, no matter the circumstances," Smith said during the ceremony, seemingly holding back tears. "This kind of selflessness is rare, but it's the kind of bravery that defines Marines across generations."
An investigation released last month pointed to "pilot error and complacency" as the primary cause of the crash, but experts and surviving family members recently told Fire Watch, Military.com's flagship podcast, that pilots and crews are often unfairly blamed for strings of decisions made prior to tragic mishaps and despite known mechanical failures that have sprung up with the Osprey.
While there were no known mechanical failures during the Australia crash, that Osprey should have never been deemed safe for flight that day, according to the investigation. It was also loaded with excess fuel not accounted for during the planning phase of the operation, meaning the pilots had to maneuver a heavy aircraft with seconds to react during a near-miss collision with another Osprey.
Twenty other Marines aboard the Osprey survived the crash, and Collart's family attributed that to the skill and competence of Lewis and LeBeau.
"God bless the three of them; we consider them all to be heroes," Bart Collart, Spencer's father, said during the ceremony. Quoting one of the surviving Marines in the crash, he said, "Those three Marines made the ultimate sacrifice, putting the lives of others before their own. Because of their bravery, skill and training, 20 Marines are alive today."
The garden was filled with surviving family members, Marines and well-wishers who came to honor Collart's act of bravery as traffic bustled down 8th Street outside of the Marine barracks. Smith was accompanied by the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz, who was by his side as they presented the honor to Collart's family.
"Spencer, you never cease to amaze me, buddy," Alexia Collart, Spencer's mother, said as she briefly looked to the sky. "I just want to let you know we are so proud of you. We only got to have two decades with you. We love you so, so much, and we feel you are around us every single day, and we will never forget."
A Marine read Collart's award citation to the crowd, which lauded his efforts as courageous and selfless. Collart made sure to account for the other Marines after he left the burning wreckage and went back in "at great risk to his own life" to save the others, the citation said.
"Mr. and Mrs. Collart, no words can fully express the depth of our gratitude for your son's bravery," Smith said. "You raised a Marine who, in his final moments, thought not of himself, but of his fellow Marines. And we honor you for that. Spencer's legacy is one of selfless devotion to duty, and we're forever in his debt."
