Marines honor two pilots killed in Iraq

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press Writer

May 26, 2005, 10:39 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- Two Marine pilots who died when their jets collided in Iraq were honored Thursday at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, where more than 500 people packed into a chapel to share tearful remembrances.

After the 35-minute ceremony, mourners filed outside as four F/A-18 Hornet jets thundered across clear blue skies and Marines fired 21 shots from their M-16 rifles.

Lt. Col. John C. Spahr, who grew up in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Capt. Kelly C. Hinz died May 2 when their F/A-18 Hornets crashed in southern Iraq after launching from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. The military has not elaborated, but a statement from the Hinz family said their single-seat planes collided.

The men had been in Iraq since February with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is based at Miramar.

Spahr, whose John Wayne impersonations earned him the call name "Dukes," was eulogized as a gifted athlete with an easy laugh who was a mentor to many.

His 9-year-old daughter, Chandler Marie Spahr, was the "love of his life," said Marine Lt. Col. David A. Robinson.

The 42-year-old former Top Gun instructor also knew how to identify potential in others and always had a soft spot for the underdog, Robinson said.

Stephen Spahr agreed, recalling that when choosing sides for childhood kickball games his older brother would snap up the less talented just to boost their spirits.

"He was lookin' out for everybody, always," Stephen Spahr said, fighting back tears.

Spahr, 42, was a quarterback at Saint Joseph's Preparatory High School in Philadelphia who attended the University of Delaware on a football scholarship.

After a short stint as a physical therapist for disabled children, he joined the Marines.

Hinz was born at U.S. Naval Air Station Lemoore in California and spent much of his childhood in Minnesota. He died less than a year after his father, former Navy pilot Donald Hinz, was killed during an air show in Wisconsin.

Holidays and family get-togethers often revolved around flying for the 30-year-old pilot's son.

Marine Maj. Greg Price remembers telling Hinz he would soon enjoy the "rock-star lifestyle of a young fighter pilot," but Hinz was unmoved.

"His family came first and everything else was second," Price said.

Price turned to Hinz's wife, Molly, and said, "What he loved more than anything was spending time with you. You were his best friend, his soul mate, his life partner."

Spahr is survived by his mother, Eileen Spahr, and his daughter. Hinz is survived by his wife and their 8-month old daughter, Abby.