Mayport helicopter crew remembered as 'three shining stars'

MAYPORT NAVAL STATION, FLORIDA - Three Navy crew members killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Greece were remembered as ``three shining stars&#39;&#39; in a memorial service Friday at their home base in Florida. <br> <br> Killed Tuesday were 27-year-old Lieutenant Terri Sue Fussner of Manchester, Missouri; 34-year-old Lieutenant Wayne Francis Roberts of New York; and 21-year-old Petty Officer Second Class Jason Edward Lawson of Smyrna, Georgia. <br> <br> Their commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Makr Nowicki, wrote in an e-mail read at the service, ``Our three shining stars will always be with us in our hearts sharing our souls and always in our memories.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Nowicki&#39;s helicopter squadron is operating off the decks of several destroyers deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. <br> <br> More than 600 mourners crowded into the chapel at Mayport Naval Station; an overflow crowd listened to the services on loud speakers set outside. <br> <br> A huge American flag spanned the width of the chapel. On the altar were three folded American flags, three navy hats, pictures of the three crew members and a helicopter pilot&#39;s helmet. <br> <br> The three were declared dead Thursday after the Navy called off the search, which covered one-thousand square miles in the Mediterranean. <br> <br> Their SH-60B Seahawk crashed Tuesday morning while on a routine training flight. <br> <br> The Navy is investigating the cause of the crash.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/3/202814