Biography
Corporal Martin Forrest Huffman, USMC, was lost at sea June 9, 2004, while scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand near Koh Samui, Thailand. Cpl. Huffman had nearly completed a 5-year tour of duty in the Marine Corps, which included 3 years of service in Okinawa, Japan, and the past 10 months in Pensacola, Florida.
Upon discharge from the Marine Corps in August 2004, he was planning to return to Okinawa to live with his wife, Kuniko Yoshiyama, and their son, Kenton Forrest Huffman, born November 14, 2003. This trip to Thailand was a stop-over on his way to Okinawa for a visit with his new family there. Because he was transferred to Pensacola, he was able to see his son for only a few weeks during leave at Christmas 2003.
Corporal Huffman was born June 14, 1978, in Lafayette, Indiana, and was named for his paternal grandfather, the late Forrest L. Huffman of Marion, IN. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was ten months old, and he grew up in Northside. He attended North Avondale Montessori Elementary School,Shroeder Paeidia Middle School, and Walnut Hills High School, before graduating from the Hughes Center Zoo Academy in 1997. During high school, he was a lifeguard at Clifton Meadows Swim Club. He attended Western New Mexico University for 2 years before enlisting in the Marines.
Corporal Huffman was passionate about nature and sought out exotic adventures in the wild. He developed his interest in snakes and other reptiles while a student at the Zoo Academy, and went on an 8-week backpacking and canoeing trip along the Rio Grande while in college. In addition to participating in mountain and jungle maneuvers and survival training as part of the Marine Corps, he trekked and white-water rafted in the Himalayas of Nepal with his father, Charles Huffman, and earned certifications for open-water, rescue and cave diving. He and Kuniko enjoyed many backpacking and scuba diving trips together exploring various locations in the Asian Pacific. He first went to Thailand in 2002 as part of Cobra Gold joint maneuvers with US and Thai marines. This was his second return trip to dive in the Koh Samui archipelago with a commercial dive shop on the island. The circumstances of his death are under criminal investigation by military officials.
Navy SEAL divers placed a memorial marker on the sea floor at the dive site near Koh Tao on June 18, 2004. A memorial service followed, with family members, military representatives, and local boat captain and crew on a beach in Koh Samui, Thailand.
Memorial services were also held on July 10 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in Pensacola at the Naval Air Station Chapel, on July 19. A memorial service is also being planned in October 2004 for family and friends in Japan.
Memorials may be sent in Cpl. Huffman’s name to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden or to any Fifth-Third Bank to the Kenton Forrest Huffman Educational Fund.
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Saturday, July 3, 2004
Marine vanishes on dive
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Hughes Center Zoo Academy grad was training in Thailand
By Rebecca Goodman
Cincinnati Enquirer staff writer
NORTHSIDE - Marine Cpl. Martin Forrest Huffman, a graduate of Hughes Center Zoo Academy and father of a 7-month-old boy, disappeared June 9 while scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand. He is presumed dead, although his body - which may have been sighted by fishermen - has not been recovered. The former Northside resident was five days shy of his 26th birthday. An experienced diver with certification in open-water rescue and cave diving, Huffman began a 21-day leave on June 4. He was in Thailand taking training in the use of rebreathing equipment from a commercial dive shop when he failed to resurface after entering the water with his instructor.
Huffman was a "quiet individual, but a hard worker and a dedicated leader of Marines," said Chief Warrant Officer Robert E. Lane, Huffman's officer in charge. "He took pride in being a Marine noncommissioned officer and challenged his peers and juniors to excel as Marines. He brought humor in rough times and stern leadership when needed. He will be missed."
Huffman was 10 months old when his family moved to Cincinnati from Lafayette, Ind. He attended North Avondale Elementary, Shroder Paideia and Walnut Hills High School before graduating from the Hughes Center Zoo Academy in 1997.
The Zoo Academy was a good fit for someone who was passionate about nature - especially snakes - according to his mother, Jacquelyn Reed of Northside. Huffman worked as a lifeguard at Clifton Meadows Swim Club and loved exotic excursions in the wild. He and his father, Charles Huffman of Los Angeles, trekked in the Himalayas of Nepal. As a student at Western New Mexico University, he went on an eight-week backpacking and canoe trip along the Rio Grande. He spent two years at the university before enlisting with the Marines in May 1999.
He took his recruit training at Parris Island, N.C., and completed disbursing technician military occupational specialty training at Camp Lejeune, N.C. For three years he worked as a disbursing technician - responsible for processing payments to Marines - with the 3rd FSSG in Okinawa, Japan. Last summer he was assigned to do the same job at MATSG-21 in Pensacola, Fla.
Huffman was a "great Marine," said Cpl. Andis Ricardo Gonzales of Miami, a co-worker. He was "always there to lead by example and always concerned with the Marines in his command. He was someone whom I seriously looked up to for advice and guidance. "If you put Martin Huffman anywhere in the world, he will easily meet people and make friends. That was true in Japan. As soon as weekend liberty commenced, he was out the gate, making friends, taking in the culture, scuba diving and hunting."
Huffman's five-year tour of duty was scheduled to end in August. He planned to live in Okinawa with his future wife, Kuniko Yoshiyama, and son, Kenton Forrest Huffman.
His family had a stone carved to memorialize Huffman. Two Navy divers placed it at the dive site near Koh Sumai, Thailand, on June 18. The family held a service for Huffman on the beach afterward. A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. July 10 at the United Church of Christ, 5808 Glenview Ave. College Hill. Memorials: Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, or the Kenton Forrest Huffman Educational Fund at any Fifth Third Bank.
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19 June 2004
Sequence Of Events, Diving Accident, Corporal Martin Forest Huffman, Active Duty U.S. Marine
The following sequence of events were derived from; phone calls to myself, MAJ Marcus Anderson, Joint United States Military Advisory Group Thailand (JUSMAGTHAI) Duty Officer, email traffic passed within the American Community Services (ACS) Office of the U.S. Embassy Bangkok, contacts with local authorities in Koh Samui and an interview of Mr. Andreas Fritz the Dive Instructor involved.
Martin Huffman, an active duty U.S. Marine, DOB 14 June 1978 arrived at Koh Samui on 7 June 2004 on personal leave. His home unit is MATSG-21 in Pensacola, Florida. His Acting Commanding Officer at the time I was notified was COL Grace.
On Wednesday 9 JUN 2004 at approximately 1236 hrs Martin became missing at a dive site known as Samran Pinnacle (Latitude N 90 degrees, 57’, 56.8”, Longitude E 99 degrees, 55’, 13.1”) located between Koh Tao and Koh Hin Bai, Thailand. Martin was diving with the local diving company Big Blue. He was a very experienced diver and he had many certifications to include cave diving certification. He had come to Thailand to receive training in the PADI Dolphin SCR Specialty Course and he had been in email contact coordinating this training with Big Blue since September 2003. At the time of this accident Martin was wearing a blue and black three quarters wet suit with a yellow “rebreather” tank on his back. Mr. Andreas Fritz was the Dive Instructor for this training and was also Martin’s dive buddy. The U.S. Embassy American Citizen Services (ACS) Case Officer assigned to this case is Ms. Tressa Finerty.
Mr. Andreas Fritz’s Account
This incident occurred during Martin’s second dive of the day. There were eight other divers on the boat. After conducting a quick buoyancy check Martin asked Mr. Fritz, “ Are we doing the bubble check here or on the mooring line?” Mr. Fritz replied that the check would be conducted at the mooring line. Mr. Fritz then began to swim to the mooring line approximately 10-12 meters away with Martin behind him. Mr. Fritz arrived at the mooring line, turned around and realized that Martin was not behind him.
The water conditions were choppy. Mr. Fritz initially thought that Martin had swum below the surface of the water to the mooring line to avoid the surface current and wave action. Mr. Fritz descended to a depth of two meters along the mooring line to wait for Martin. Mr. Fritz could not see Martin under the water and he looked up towards the surface and could not see him there either. After waiting two minutes, Mr. Fritz descended to conduct a quick 1-2 minute search, as this was standard procedure and what Mr. Fritz had briefed Martin on prior to the dive. After searching below the surface for two minutes, Mr. Fritz ascended to the surface.
Mr. Fritz then thought that Martin might have descended (while Mr. Fritz was swimming to the mooring line) to the planned depth of twenty-five meters, and initiated his 1-2 minute search. Mr. Fritz thought that if this were the case Martin would have surfaced a few minutes after Mr. Fritz taking a maximum ascent rate of 10 meters per minute into account. Therefore, Mr. Fritz waited on the surface for ten minutes. As Martin did not appear, Mr. Fritz descended at 1244 hrs to a depth of twenty-nine meters and searched the entire dive site near the actual pinnacle. This search took approximately thirteen minutes plus another three minutes for ascent time.
After surfacing Mr. Fritz asked his boat Captain if he had seen Martin on the surface and if he had seen Martin descend. The Captain replied that he had seen Martin descend behind Mr. Fritz but he did not see him come up again. Mr. Fritz instructed the Captain to keep watching the surface area down wind and Mr. Fritz descended at 1303 hrs at the spot where the Captain saw Martin descend.
During this descent Mr. Fritz did not swim but allowed the current to carry him hoping that it would take him to Martin’s position. Mr. Fritz used an “expanding square” search pattern as the visibility at his current depth of thirty-three meters was no more than two meters. Mr. Fritz noted that it was difficult to maintain his expanding square search pattern as the current kept dragging him. Mr. Fritz returned to the surface after twelve additional minutes of searching. Mr. Fritz confirmed with the Captain that Martin had not been spotted at the surface and he organized a spare tank and line reel.
Mr. Fritz then swam on the surface down current forty meters behind the boat and descended at 1322 hrs to a depth of thirty-six meters. Mr. Fritz conducted a circular sweep search pattern after securing one end of the line to a small pinnacle. Mr. Fritz continued his circular sweep and fed out an additional two meters of line with each additional lap. Mr. Fritz does not recall how many laps he swam in this fashion before he returned to the surface. Mr. Fritz’s dive computer logged twenty-two minutes at thirty-six meters. Mr. Fritz had to ascend as he ran into decompression and he did not want to delay a surface search by spending too much time decompressing.
At 1344 hrs Mr. Fritz initiated a surface U pattern search by boat and simultaneously notified the Thai Marine Police. During this search Mr. Fritz instructed the Captain to cover an area wider than what he thought was the possible search area. This surface search lasted for approximately one hour and forty minutes. On the last leg of the U pattern search Mr. Fritz noted that they had traveled 1.8 nautical miles down wind from the Samran pinnacle.
Unable to locate Martin on the surface, Mr. Fritz arranged to dock with the MV Waverunner, a large dive boat operated by Samui International Dive School (SIDS). The MV Waverunner was on its way back to Samui from the nearby dive site Sail Rock. Mr. Fritz arranged for the remaining dive customers to return to Samui on the MV Waverunner and four instructors from SIDS volunteered to assist with another underwater search. Back at the original dive site, Mr. Fritz gave a short briefing to the other four Dive Instructors to establish the search techniques and line procedures. Mr. Fritz tied an additional thirty meters to the reel for a total of ninety meters of line. At 1635 hrs Mr. Fritz along with the other four divers descended at the point where Martin was last seen to a depth of thirty-five meters. One diver remained on a small pinnacle to control the line. A spare tank was rigged next to the line handler. The other divers were spread out along the line with five meters separating between them. Upon completion of each lap an additional twenty meters of line was extended to increase the search area. After three laps the search was called off, as most divers were low on air. During this search a diameter of one hundred twenty meters was covered.
On the way back to Samui, Mr. Fritz contacted the local hyperbaric chamber and inquired about helicopter or aircraft assistance. The Manager, Chris told Mr. Fritz that he would contact the Thai Air Force the following morning. In the evening Mr. Fritz contacted the Thai Marine Police and agreed to continue the surface search the following day with the Thai Marine Police vessel. Mr. Fritz also contacted the Big Blue Diving Company in Koh Tao and asked them to make an announcement over the local fisherman’s radio network.
On 10 June at 0830 hours Mr. Fritz left his boat at Koh Phangngan to file a missing person report to the police authorities. The report was registered with Officer Sorachet Getkaow at 1020 hrs. At 0938 hrs Mr. Fritz called the Koh Samui hyperbaric chamber to ask the Manager if he was able to get assistance from the Thai Air Force. The Manager replied that he as of yet had not been able to get in contact with the Thai Air Force but would call Mr. Fritz after he had. Mr. Fritz left Koh Phangngan at 1100 hrs to continue the search starting at Samran Pinnacle and searching to the northeast, as this was the direction of the waves. At 1100 hrs Mr. Fritz called the Thai Air Force at Surat Thani to request aircraft assistance. A person named Chet Sakhunwirot said that they had been notified but they had fuel problems and could not dispatch an aircraft at that time. At 1115 hrs Mr. Fritz called the U.S. Embassy Bangkok and spoke to a Thai male and informed him that he wanted to report that a U.S. citizen was lost at sea. The Thai male instructed Mr. Fritz to call back between 1300-1400 hrs. At 1130 hrs Mr. Fritz called Protectung, a nationwide nonprofit help organization, and asked for aircraft support. Protectung informed Mr. Fritz that they did not have that capacity. At 1230 hrs Mr. Fritz called the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in Chonburi and requested aircraft assistance. The RTN informed Mr. Fritz that an aircraft could not be dispatched due to inclement weather conditions in Chonburi. At 1348 hrs Mr. Fritz again called the U.S. Embassy Bangkok and spoke to a Thai female named Daeng. Mr. Fritz provided Martin’s passport number to Daeng and Daeng said that she would ensure that her supervisor was notified.
At 1400 hrs Mr. Fritz heard from the MV Waverunner that they had heard on the Thai fisherman’s radio network talk about a body floating on the surface near Shark Island, a small Island south of Koh Tao. Mr. Fritz headed in the direction of Shark Island but later heard that the body spotted was that of a female. Mr. Fritz called Big Blue on Koh Tao and asked them to investigate this further. Big Blue also told Mr. Fritz that the fishing boat said that the body was of a woman. Later Mr. Fritz’s boat met with the fishing boat that spotted the body and the fisherman said that they were unsure but thought that it was the body of a female. The fishing boat did not recover the body but told Mr. Fritz to continue searching the area. Mr. Fritz conducted an expanding circular search pattern for approximately two hours. At 1400 hrs Mr. Nararak Aimsakal files a written report to the Marine Police in Nathon on behalf of Big Blue Diving. At 1500 hrs a female with an American accent from the U.S. Embassy called Mr. Fritz and Mr. Fritz described the events to date. Mr. Fritz also said at this time that he needed air support and that he had contacted the Thai Air Force and Thai Navy already. At 1500 hrs Mr. Nararak Aimsakal files a written report to Protectung in Nathon on behalf of Big Blue Diving. Mr. Fritz continued his search until 1800 hrs before running low on fuel and returning to Samui.
At 1940 hrs Sergeant Major Rut Sunarong called Mr. Fritz and asked Mr. Fritz if he needed any aircraft support to assist with the search. Mr. Fritz’s wife, Supredee Prechacharn suggested to Sergeant Major Rut that they allow Mr. Fritz to accompany them in the aircraft so that he could direct them to the appropriate search area. Sergeant Major Rut said that he would speak to his superiors about this and call back in five minutes. Sergeant Major Rut did not call back. Supredee attempted to call the Sergeant Major back but could not reach him. At 2020 hrs Supredee called the Thai Marine Police to see if there was any news. Supredee was told that some Thai fishing boats had seen a body and were unable to contact Mr. Fritz. Supredee asked for coordinates of where the fisherman spotted the body but none were available. The fisherman said that they spotted the body near Koh Phangngan.
(Field Comment: I am told by Ms. Finerty and Mr. Fritz that communications were hampered because the Thai fisherman’s radios have a maximum range of ten miles. Additionally, Mr. Fritz told me that he did not have one of these radios in his boat so he was receiving his information relayed from other locations. Mr. Fritz’s primary means of communicating from his boat was via his mobile phone.)
On 11 June Mr. Fritz called the Marine Police and Big Blue at Koh Tao and asked them both to announce on the fisherman’s radio network that Big Blue Diving will pay a reward of 20,000 Baht for the recovery of Martin’s body. At 0830 hrs a Mr. Hasan Basar, Managing Director, Bangkok Public Relations, a friend of Mr. Charles Huffman, (Martin’s father) called Mr. Fritz and asked if Mr. Fritz had been in contact with the U.S. Embassy Bangkok. Mr. Fritz explained that he had been in contact with the embassy on the afternoon of June 10th but had not heard anything further.
(Field Comment: Mr. Charles Huffman flew into Thailand on 11 June.)
Mr. Hasan asked Mr. Fritz what else he needed to continue the search. Mr. Fritz explained that his boat had limited range as the start of the search area was two hours away from Samui and that he could now only stand by to await a recovery operation by air as the search area now has expanded to be too large for Mr. Fritz’s boat to continue to search -- even if he used an extra fuel tank. Mr. Hasan informed Mr. Fritz that he would try to get an aircraft.
At 0910 hrs Mr. Fritz received a call from Commander Somchai Homsuwan of the Royal Thai Navy. Commander Somchai explained to Mr. Fritz that they had a plane ready for take off on 10 June but the plane could not take off due to bad weather. CDR Somchai said that they hoped to be able to use an aircraft to search on 11 June. Supredee told Commander Somchai that they were going to go back out into the search area in their boat.
At 1030 hrs Mr. Hasan called Mr. Fritz back to inform him that he has arranged for an aircraft. Mr. Hasan, Mr. Huffman and a local Thai pilot take off from Bangkok at 1312 hrs and conduct an aerial search for four hours.
(Field comment: During my meeting with Mr. Hasan and Mr. Huffman they explained that it was difficult to get the pilot to go down low enough for them to be able to see well. They also added that they were novices at searching for someone in the ocean and that what was required was professional searchers in aircraft that knew the proper search techniques and procedures)
At 1200 hours Mr. Fritz receives a call from the MV Waverunner who informed him that they heard talk on the Thai fisherman’s radio about seeing a body at N 10 degrees and E 100 degrees, 02. Mr. Fritz said that he tried to get a better fix but did not succeed. Mr. Fritz was only able to get a description of the fishing boat.
End of Mr. Fritz’s account
The following account is taken from U.S Embassy Bangkok’s American Citizen Service’s (ACS) internal emails.
Mr. Fritz then notified Ms. Jacquelyn Reed, Martin’s mother living in Ohio, on 10 June that Martin was missing. Mrs. Reed notified Martin’s fiancé in Japan. The ACS Foreign Service National (FSN) who initially received the call from Mr. Fritz and subsequently contacted Thai authorities, is Rumpa Anantakul (Daeng).
Mr. Fritz contacted the ACS office at 1340 hrs on Thursday 10 June 2004. Daeng’s internal ACS email indicates that Mr. Fritz contacted the Marine Police in Koh Samui and that he had requested that a helicopter assist in the search.
Mr. Fritz on 10 June, asked Daeng to contact the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in Chonburi, Thailand, and request helicopter assistance through the U.S. embassy. Daeng reported the incident to Mr. Jeffrey Schwenk, ACS Station Chief. Mr. Schwenk reported the incident to a U.S. military representative who just coincidentally happened to be in his office at the time. This U.S. military representative was in Thailand to participate in Exercise Cobra Gold. The Cobra Gold office in Bangkok conducted a records search and determined that Martin Huffman was not a Cobra Gold participant.
Daeng called the Koh Samui Marine Police to seek more information and to find out what they had been doing in reference to searching for Martin. Daeng called the Operations Division, 2nd Naval Area Command and spoke to Commander Kovit Reungdit. CDR Kovit reported that the 2nd Area Command’s land base is in Songkla, about 160 miles away from Samui. CDR Kovit mentioned that the weather in the Koh Samui area was very bad. CDR Kovit asked Daeng to contact the Marine Police in Koh Samui, Division 3, Surathani.
Daeng called the Marine Police in Koh Samui and talked to Police Lieutenant Colonel Kor. Jaru Sangkanjakorn who said that he was familiar with the incident and that the tour company had informed his office of the accident yesterday (9 June 2004). Pol LTC Jaru contacted twenty local fishing boats in the area and they divided into ten groups and dragged their nets in the area until 8:00p.m.with no positive results. Pol LTC Jaru said that at night another group of fishing boats used the same method of search until morning with no positive results. Pol LTC Jaru said that he radioed to boats in the area to be on the look out for Martin. Pol LTC Jaru contacted the Navy Headquarters, Region 1 in Sattahip and asked them to send a helicopter to assist in the search. Pol LTC Jaru said that due to bad weather and poor visibility, the Navy could not send a helicopter on Thursday 10 JUN 2004.
Pol LTC Jaru asked Daeng to contact the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Bureau, Region 1 Sattahip, 038-434-592. CDR Somchai Homsuwan, of the RTN, acknowledged that they were aware of the accident but bad weather precluded them from sending a helicopter. CDR Somchai directed that the Operations Division, 3rd Naval Area Command in Surathani work closely with the Koh Samui Marine Police and fly as soon as weather permits.
At 1630 hrs Pol LTC Jaru called Daeng to inform her that the fishing boat Pichai 3 radioed him and told him that a floating body, with scuba equipment attached, had been spotted approximately 6 miles behind Koh Tao. Subsequently it was made clear that, a fishing boat that was not a part of the original twenty fishing boats that had been informed to be on the lookout for Martin, had reported spotting a body floating at 1330 hrs. The report of seeing a body was relayed from fishing boat to fishing boat via radio. The maximum distance that the fishing boat’s radios can transmit is approximately 10 miles. Pol LTC Jaru said that by the time they received the report it was late afternoon and the Marine Police boat and the dive shop boat both went out to sea to search until 6:00p.m. The Koh Samui Marine Police only have one boat at their disposal and this boat is one that the U.S. Marines used -- left over from the Vietnam War. It only travels at 10 knots per hour. Pol LTC Jaru informed Daeng that they would continue the search on Friday 11 June, and he asked Daeng to again check on the status of getting aircraft from the Thai Navy to assist with the search.
Early Friday morning, 11 June, Daeng called CDR Somchai again at the Thai Navy Headquarters, Region 1 in Sattahip and asked about the status of the aircraft. CDR Somchai said that he would send an airplane instead of a helicopter to support the Marine Police. Daeng called CDR Somchai again at 1015 hrs to check on the status of the aircraft. CDR Somchai informed Daeng that an aircraft had departed at 0945 hrs to participate in the search.
On 11 June Thai Marine Police inform the ACS office that their search for Martin will conclude on 11 June. (72 hours)
End of Information Obtained From ACS Internal Emails
On Saturday 12 June at approximately 2115 hrs, while serving as the JUSMAGTHAI Duty Officer, I was contacted by Mike Itinger, the U.S. Embassy Duty Officer and informed of the accident. The Embassy Duty Officer told me that because this involved an active duty U.S. service member that JUSMAGTHAI would probably want to be informed but that the ACS office has the lead. Mike Itinger passed on to me the phone numbers of the ACS Duty Officer, Mike Sweeney and the phone number of Martin Huffman’s Acting Commanding Officer, COL Grace.
Over the next two hours I received calls from; Mike Sweeney and Tressa Finerty from the U.S. Embassy Bangkok ACS Office, and COL Grace who all brought me up to date on the current situation. COL Grace conveyed that Martin’s family felt that not enough was being done here in Thailand to locate Martin. He also informed me that Martin’s father had flown to Thailand from California, rented a private plane, and had been searching for Martin on Saturday. He asked that somebody from JUSMAGTHAI or from the U.S. Embassy Bangkok go to Koh Samui to speak with the authorities there and find out what is being done. COL Grace told me that his units’ priorities were:
1) Recover Martin’s remains.
2) Document the sequence of events and determine what actually happened.
I told COL Grace that I would need to relay this information to COL Jack Dibrell, Chief JUSMAGTHAI, and I asked COL Grace to call me back in one hour. I first contacted ACS and asked if they could / would send somebody to Koh Samui as they were the lead office. ACS told me that this was not something that ACS would usually do. I asked ACS if it would be appropriate for JUSMAGTHAI personnel to go to Koh Samui given the fact that ACS was the lead office. ACS told me that because a U.S. military person was involved, that JUSMAGTHAI could send somebody to Koh Samui as a goodwill gesture to the family and to show our genuine concern.
I then called COL Dibrell and briefed him on the information as I knew it at the time. COL Dibrell told me to make arrangements to go to Koh Samui on the following day, Sunday 13 June. As it was late Saturday night when COL Dibrell and I were speaking, I felt that I didn’t have enough information at the time to travel on such short notice. Ms. Finerty had told me earlier that she would email to me all of the information that her office had regarding this incident on Monday 14 June at 0630 hrs. COL Dibrell and I agreed that we should spend Sunday 13 June formulating a course of action and I would travel on Monday 14 June. I called COL Grace back and told him that I would go down to Koh Samui on Monday 14 June.
On Sunday 13 June, COL Dibrell convened a meeting in his office and we put together at team to travel to Koh Samui on the following day, Monday 14 June. Our team consisted of:
MAJ Anderson, JUSMAGTHAI Duty Officer
LCDR Loschinkohl, Frequent Diver and Dive Master familiar with Koh Samui
AOCS Jim Shirazi, U.S. Navy Special Operations Force (SEAL) Thailand Action Officer
OS1 Kenneth Reeves, U.S. Navy SEAL and PADI-certified Dive Instructor
LCDR Chatchavon Buatong, Royal Thai Navy SEAL, Special Warfare Group Asst Operations Officer
LTjg Surachart Hansupor, SEAL attached to Sattahip Coastal Defense Command with extensive personal contacts in Koh Samui
CPO Pipat Kong-Sri, SEAL attached to Sattahip Coastal Defense Command who was born and raised in Koh Samui. CPO Pipat owns a business and maintains a residence in Koh Samui, and has a substantial amount of contacts within the Royal Thai Marine and Tourist Police in the local area.
On Sunday, 13 June, after the meeting at JUSMAGTHAI, I received a call from Mr. Hasan Basar, a friend of Mr. Huffman’s who lives here in Thailand. Mr. Basar requested that I meet with he and Mr. Huffman in Bangkok. We scheduled a meeting for 7:00 p.m. at the Novotel Hotel. I called Ms. Tressa Finerty, the ACS Case Officer, and asked her if she would like to be present at the meeting and she accepted.
During the meeting Mr. Huffman asked, “What can they expect from the embassy?” Ms. Finerty reviewed the sequence of events to date and told Mr. Huffman with which Thai offices her office had been in contact. I informed Mr. Huffman and Mr. Basar that myself and others from JUSMAGTHAI were going to Koh Samui the following day to talk to Mr. Fritz and the local authorities and then determine a course of action for continued searching. I told Mr. Huffman that we may possibly use U.S. divers and U.S. aircraft if they were available. Mr. Huffman asked me to go down and assess the situation and call him Monday night, 14 June. Mr. Huffman informed us that Mr. Fritz has told the local fishing boats that there is a 50,000 Baht reward for the recovery of Martin’s remains. Mr. Basar asked me to notify UNOCAL Oil Company, as there are many oilrigs in the vicinity. I called Dave Payne, Chief Drilling Division, UNOCAL, and informed him of the situation. He replied that he would notify the Watch Officer who would spread the word to all of the UNOCAL personnel in the area.
During our meeting with Mr. Huffman I learned that Martin’s Fiancé from Japan had flown to Koh Samui. She too is a diver. Additionally, I was told that Martin’s mother would be arriving with her husband in the evening of 14 June and will go to Koh Samui on 15 June. Mr. Huffman said that he was not sure if he would go back to Koh Samui on 15 June and he asked me if somebody could meet Martin’s mother in Koh Samui.
LCDR Loschinkohl and myself departed for Koh Samui at 1620 hrs on 14 June. Senior Chief Shirazi and the others departed earlier. We planned to have the SEALS meet with local points of contact upon their arrival and then go and see Mr. Fritz in the evening. I had called Mr. Fritz prior to departing Bangkok and requested that we have a meeting with him on the night of 14 June. Myself, LCDR Loschinkohl and Petty Officer Reeves met with Mr. Fritz, his wife and Martin’s fiancé, Kuniko Yoshiyama, at 2100 hrs. Senior Chief Shirazi and the other SEALS continued to meet with local points of contact on 15 and 16 June.
Mrs. Reed called me from Bangkok at my hotel room in Koh Samui at 1010 hrs 15 June and told me that she and her husband will be on the first available flight to Koh Samui. She asked if I could:
1) Arrange a memorial service for Martin at the hotel for the following day 16 June.
2) Locate both a Buddhist Monk and an English speaking clergyman to say a blessing on Martin’s behalf
3) Have the Monk and / or English speaking clergyman say a blessing for Kuniko while she is wearing her engagement ring
4) Be present at the service and if unable to, have other U.S. military present
On 16 June 2004, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Special Agent (SA) Scott Bernat and U.S. Embassy Bangkok Regional Security Office (RSO) Supervisory Security Investigator Praipan Juntarasuntorngul arrived at Koh Samui to liaise with the local authorities. Myself, LCDR Loschinkohl and Senior Chief Shirazi met with them to brief them on what we had determined. SA Bernat called me later in the day from the Thai Marine Police Office and told me that Martin’s next of kin needed to go to Koh Phangngan (an island near where the dive accident occurred) and file a missing person report. I asked SA Bernat if the authorities would allow me to file the report on the family’s behalf and they agreed. We traveled to Koh Phangngan on 17 June 2004 to file the missing person report -- which officially opened a case to be investigated at Koh Phangngan. Although the dive company had reported the accident at Koh Phangngan, the authorities there do not open a case until the next of kin reports someone missing.
LCDR Loschinkohl and myself met with a representative from the hotel and I explained Mrs. Reed’s requests for the ceremonies. I put Mr. Huffman, Mrs. Reed and Ms. Yoshiyama in touch with the hotel representative to coordinate the details of the ceremonies. The family decided to have a memorial stone carved for Martin and wanted it to be placed at the dive site. Due to the time required to have the stone carved and other logistical coordination involved, the family moved the memorial ceremony to Friday 18 June 2004.
I coordinated with MATSG-21 for them to provide to me some written material about Martin that I could read at the memorial ceremony. We conducted a ring blessing ceremony for Kuniko at the hotel the morning of 18 June and then went out to the dive site where two U.S. Navy divers emplaced the stone carving. We then conducted a beachside memorial ceremony for Martin upon return to shore.
On 19 June 2004 Mrs. Reed requested that I investigate obtaining a death certificate for Martin while the family was still here in Thailand. I contacted the American Citizen Services Office and I was told that they would produce a Presumptive Death Certificate, which I will pick it up for Mrs. Reed on 21 June 2004. Mrs. Reed also requests assistance with having the Death Certificate translated into Thai before she leaves Thailand.
SEAL Interviews
The following documents the results from:
· Thai / U.S. SEAL discussions with local Thai Marine / Tourist Police authorities.
· Review of all Marine Police / RTN official reports
· Attendance of the interview with the Big Blue Diving Company Dive Instructor who oversaw the dive on the date of the incident
· Obtaining information as available from local fishermen involved with the search efforts.
Reports and Relevant Information
The following transcripts were translated directly from the original Thai documents by AOCS Shirazi and LCDR Chatchavon, and are relevant to the incident and follow-on search efforts in the wake of the incident.
A.) TRANSLATION FROM 12 JUNE EDITION OF “DAILY NEWS” NEWSPAPER
TOURIST LOOSES LIFE IN DROWNING ACCIDENT
“At 1500 on June 10th, Police LTCOL Gojaru Sankamathorn (Chief Marine Police Constable for Samui Surat Thani Province) received a report from the fishing vessel TAWEECHOK WATANA that the body of a foreigner in a diving suit was seen floating at sea in the vicinity of Gong Hin Bai, approximately 9 miles from Koh Tao Island.
A boat was launched to conduct a search, but because of the time needed to transit to the site and the prevailing water conditions the body was not found when the boat reached the area. The search continued into the evening without result.
The body was suspected to be that of Mr. Martin Hoffman, aged 35 years, an American tourist who had prior service in the United States Navy and who had been diving with the Big Blue diving school in the vicinity of Gong Hin Bai on 9 June 2004. Mr. Hoffman stated that he had prior dive training with the U.S. Navy. After 2 days of diving and drinking in the evening, Mr. Hoffman descended out of sight of the instructor and disappeared. The instructor dove down in an attempt to locate Mr. Huffman but was unable to find him, and then contacted the Marine Police as previously mentioned.”
B.) INITIAL TRANSCRIPT, MARINE POLICE REPORT (Released by Pol LTCOL Gojaru)
“At 1420 on 9 June 2004, Pol LTCOL Gojaru, Chief Marine Police Constable for Koh Samui, Surat Thani Province, received a report from the tourist vessel Chon Teecha that they had transported divers to Koh Tao (LAT 9 degrees 57.824 N / LONG 99 degrees 55.425 E). The instructor and divers entered the water 1210. At the time the water conditions were rather rough and the weather conditions stormy and windy. A diver named Martin Huffman, an American approx 35 years in age disappeared. An immediate search was initiated. The Samui Marine Police contacted a fishing vessel in the area (Chok Sirisap), which was fishing north of Gong Hin Bai at the time and directed the vessel to contact other fishing boats in the area to assist in the search. As of right now the search has been unable to locate Mr. Huffman”
C.) INITIAL REPORT, RTN 2nd FLEET OPERATIONS DIVISION (Released by CAPT {name illegible} Chief, RTN 2nd Fleet Operations Division)
“ At 1500 on 10 June 2004, a report was received from Miss Alpha Anandtakun, Assistant Consular for the United States Embassy Bangkok, at 1300 9 June 2004 Mr. Martin Huffman, an American citizen, went to attend dive instruction given by Mr. Andreas Fritz at Koh Tao island and disappeared during a dive. The area this occurred in was between Gong Hin Bai and Koh Tao. No 2nd Fleet vessels were available to assist in the search due to ongoing operations on the southern border area, so a request was made to the Samui Marine Police to coordinate search efforts:”
D.) TRANSCRIPT OF SECOND MARINE POLICE REPORT (Released by Pol LTCOL Gojaru)
“At 0800 11 June 2004, the Samui Marine Police reported the results of the search for missing diver Mr. Martin Huffman, an American citizen who was reported missing on 10 June 2004:
- Coordination was made for 30 pairs and 10 individual fishing vessels to conduct net drags in the vicinity of where the incident was reported. Additionally, Marine Police patrol vessel No. 433 was dispatched to assist in the search.
- At 1530, the Samui Marine Police received a report from patrol vessel 433 that they received word from vessel “SAMUI ISLAND TOUR” that around 1330 on 10 June 2004 a fishing boat named TAWEECHOK WATANA radioed on marine band channel 33E that they spotted a body appearing to be a diver floating in the water at LAT 10 degrees 03 N / LONG 99 degrees 55.59 E.
- The Samui Marine Police dispatched patrol boat 433 to the above coordinates where, along with fishing vessels in the area, a search was conducted until 2000 without locating the body
E.) TRANSCRIPT OF THIRD MARINE POLICE REPORT (Released by Pol LTCOL Gojaru)
“At 1330 11 June 2004 a call was received from Miss Lampha Anandtakun, Assistant to the Consular Section U.S. Embassy Bangkok reporting that coordination had been made with the Royal Thai Navy for a naval aircraft to assist in the search for Mr. Martin Huffman, an American citizen, in the area between Koh Phangngan and Koh Tao. CDR Somchai had reported that a maritime patrol aircraft would be dispatched at 0945 to assist in the search efforts.
The Samui Marine Police coordinated with fishing vessels in the area and directed patrol boat 433 to remain on station and report on the search efforts”
F.) TRANSCRIPT OF FIFTH MARINE POLICE REPORT (Released by Pol LTCOL Gojaru)
“As per Samui Marine Police report 0021.332. (Samui) / 294 released 9 June 2004 at 1500 concerning dive student Martin Huffman, an American citizen who disappeared while diving in the vicinity of LAT 9 degrees 57.822 N / 99 degrees 55.425 E at approximately 1210 on 9 June 2004:
The search efforts coordinated by the Samui Marine Police consisted of contacting fishing vessel Chok Sirisap (fishing in the local area) and directing the vessel to radio 10 pairs of other boats in the area to perform a net drag to search for Mr. Huffman’s body. The search continued until 2000 with negative results.
On 10 June the Samui Marine Police directed fishing vessels in the area to search a line between Koh Phangngan and Koh Tao (along the line of the prevailing current and wind direction.) Also, Big Blue Diving Company was directed to send vessel Chonticha to conduct a search from the point where the divers entered the water to the north along the prevailing water current and wind direction..
Samui Marine Police request the following support from the 3rd Marine Police Division:
1. Request air support to assist in the search
2. Request a large patrol vessel to search in the area the incident occurred.
G.) INTERVIEW WITH BIG BLUE DIVE INSTRUCTOR (submitted by OS1 Kenneth Reeves, U.S. Navy SEAL and certified PADI Open Water Instructor)
“An informal interview was conducted with the PADI Instructor responsible for the dive operation. Instructor stated as follows:
- This was the third dive on a rebreather, the second of which was conducted in open water conditions.
- Pre-dive checks were performed prior to entry into the water. Seven other divers were already in the water standing by on the anchor line waiting for the instructor and student (Mr. Huffman) to join the group to descend.
- The instructor and student made a simultaneous entry into the water without incident; this was the last positive contact the instructor had with the student.
- The instructor assumed that the student descended to the bottom without linking up with the rest of the group. The instructor proceeded with the dive as planned, with an attempt to search for the student near the bottom of the reef.
- Upon an unsuccessful search, the instructor surfaced to question the boat captain as to the possible location of the diver. The captain told the instructor that he saw the student enter the water and begin kicking as normal (this was the last he saw of the student).
- A surface search was conducted, with negative results.
- Later reports indicated 2 or possibly 3 sightings of a possible diver floating on the surface being seen by passing fishermen, but no attempts to recover or gain a positive location were made.
My conclusions as a U.S. Navy SEAL and PADI Open Water Instructor are as follows:
1. Rebreather dive systems are inherently dangerous due to oxygen / CO2 factors.
2. Military personnel need approval prior to training on rebreather systems.
3. No buddy line was used by the divers
4. No visual check underwater was performed
5. A head count was not conducted prior to descent
6. An immediate search was not performed
7. Notice to Mariners was not broadcast
8. PADI was not informed
9. The instructor assumed that the student was physiologically fit but failed to take into consideration hypoxia due to a possible bad purge on the surface, which can induce sudden unconsciousness underwater and possible mishap or fatality
10. Delay in performing a proper search, possibly out of fear or denial, may be a factor in negative recovery
11. Positive LAT / LONG by fishermen should have been obtained and a new search in that location should have been immediately initiated
12. Bottom Line: instruction and supervision was inadequate, in particular regarding initial search and reporting procedures.
Respectfully Submitted, OS1 Kenneth Reeves
Summary / Conclusions
Upon completion of site visits, review of transcripts and internal U.S. Thai Naval Special Operations Forces (NAVSOF) debrief we came to the following conclusions concerning this very unfortunate incident:
Comments:
- Inaccurate biographical data on CPL Huffman was prevalent throughout the reporting
- The Daily News article made the supposition that CPL Huffman had been drinking in the evenings prior to the incident, and the implication that alcohol may have been a factor (no way for them to know or prove this)
- No mention of why the TAWEECHOK WATANA, nor the other fishing vessels that reported seeing the body, made no effort to investigate more closely. This was a recurring and particularly troubling aspect of the incident, for obvious reasons.
- Marine Police reaction to the incident indicates a probable lack of firm response procedures to address this type of incident. An “Ad Hoc” search and recovery effort utilizing fishing boats in the local area was attempted, but was haphazard at best and not a factor that the Marine Police could directly control on the site until the arrival of patrol boat 433.
- Marine / Tourist Police in the area are severely limited in mobility / search and recovery (SAR) assets. Utilization of a SAR aircraft from the Utaphao Naval Air Station for an incident in the Samui area is not practical, efficient or adequate in terms of timeliness and ability to remain on station for extended periods of time.
- Due to the prevailing water currents and wind direction, the chances of recovering CPL Huffman after a 24-hr period were very slim.
- No provision or capability for nighttime searches currently exists within the Marine / Tourist Police agencies in Samui. This would be worth noting for future reference if there are any dive companies that conduct night dives in the area.
On behalf of the Naval Special Warfare community, we wish to extend our profound condolences to the Huffman family. The combined U.S. / Royal Thai SEAL element that traveled to Samui did everything we could to obtain as much information on the circumstances surrounding this tragedy; we very much regret that we were not able to provide more help. We hope that the Huffman family will find some comfort in the fact that in spite of the time delay, we worked very hard to recover our fellow brother in arms. We hope for God’s Blessings and comfort to the Huffman family in this very difficult time.
Very Respectfully submitted,
James M. Shirazi
AOCS(SEAL) USN
Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Pacific Action Officer
End of Findings of U.S. / Thai SEALS
I departed to Koh Samui to conduct an assessment of the current situation with the hope that I could obtain sufficient information from the local authorities and others in Koh Samui to request U.S. military assets assist the local authorities with an ongoing search. Unfortunately, days had passed since the last reported sighting of any remains and no subsequent sightings were reported to us during our time in Koh Samui. Additionally, upon our team’s arrival in Koh Samui, Thai authorities were no longer conducting an ongoing active search. The preceding is a chronological sequence of the events as they were told to us and otherwise reported. Concerned parties should be reminded to further seek all investigative reports that will be produced from both Thai and U.S. offices.
MARCUS A. ANDERSON
MAJ, USA
JUSMAGTHAI Duty Officer