Breaking News: Marine lost in Persian Gulf believed to be first U.S. casualty in ISIS campaign

A Marine lost at sea after bailing out of a MV-22 Osprey when it appeared it might crash in the Persian Gulf is believed to be the first American military casualty in support of U.S. operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.


Cpl. Jordan L. Spears, 21, was declared dead after search and rescue efforts to locate him were unsuccessful, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement.

Asked how Spears death will be classified, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby reporters the question was still being decided.

"Clearly, that squadron and that ship were in the Gulf, supporting Central Command operations. Some of those operations included operations in Iraq and Syria, at least tangentially, through at least some tangential way, support to those missions," Kirby said, according to a transcript,