The parents of Army Staff Sergeant Ryan O’Hara had the opportunity to personally thank the firefighters who recovered their son’s body from the Potomac River after a tragic mid-air helicopter crash.
The gathering took place at the Legacy on Ice benefit, an event that brought together grieving families and the individuals who worked the crash scene in which 67 people died when a helicopter and regional jet collided.
Sergeant O’Hara, a 28-year-old married father of a young son, was one of the victims of the crash that occurred over four weeks ago.
His parents, Gary and Mary O’Hara, met the divers who recovered Ryan’s body and the rookie firefighter who stood guard over him for hours, ensuring he was never alone. Firefighter Shawn Wathan, a former Marine, took it upon himself to stand guard over Ryan’s body.
When it came time to release Sergeant O’Hara’s flag-draped body to the Army, a dozen firefighters from Truck 7 and Engine 18 stood at attention and saluted.
The O’Haras also met the divers, Firefighter Gerald Bunn and Lt. Christopher Smith, who recovered Ryan’s body from the helicopter.
