Members of a Hawaii-based Marine Corps helicopter squadron held a ceremony in Afghanistan Tuesday to honor the memories of six Kaneohe Bay Marines killed when their CH-53D Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopter crashed in Helmand province Jan. 19.

Marines from Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 filled a chapel at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, to pay their respects to the fallen, according to a report from a Marine Corps journalist.

"It is difficult to be here, easier to suppress our emotions and move on with our daily routine," said Lt. Col. Mark Revor, commanding officer of Squadron 363, in his remarks at the ceremony, according to a Department of Defense news report. "It is difficult because they were more than friends, more than family — they were our brothers and our comrades."

During the ceremony’s final roll call, squadron Sgt. Maj. Mitchell Green read the names of the Marines killed: Capt. Daniel B. Bartle of Ferndale, Wash.; Capt. Nathan R. McHone of Crystal Lake, Ill.; Master Sgt. Travis Riddick of Centerville, Iowa; Cpl. Joseph D. Logan of Willis, Texas; Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard of Colonia, N.J.; and Cpl. Jesse W. Stites, who grew up in Roxana, Ill., and Interlachen, Fla.

Outside the squadron’s hangar, the American flag flew at half-staff beside the squadron’s sign depicting their logo and slogan, "The Lucky Red Lions."

NATO officials said there were no signs of enemy activity in the area at the time of the incident. The crash remains under investigation.

"Every Marine in this squadron understands the dangers of our job, but that doesn’t make it any easier when something like this happens," Green said. "People are shocked, people are upset and people are hurt. We still have a mission to do, and it’s not done until we’re heading back home to Hawaii."