A tightly knit island community that is no stranger to military tragedy was left reeling — again — with the news that two big Marine Corps helicopters with 12 aboard went down in a fireball at sea late Thursday night.

The Marines and Coast Guard officially held out hope that survivors would be found, but as Friday ticked on and none were, stunned relatives started coming forward around the country to confirm that they had loved ones aboard the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 choppers.

Most of the Kaneohe Marines and their families at Aikahi Shopping Center on Friday afternoon had heard about the accident.

One Marine appeared particularly distraught, his eyes downcast, supported by a woman who held his hand. “It was part of my squad, and I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

Cpl. Grant Darveau, 22, said, “It impacts all of us, especially the families. What they’re going through is not easy, obviously. We’re just keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.”

Tina Smith, 37, the wife of a Marine, said, “It’s heartbreaking. They’re supposed to be safe at home training, but you never know. Life’s too short. You go to work and you’re supposed to come home.”

She and her husband were worried about a friend who was in that squadron but were relieved to learn he was not involved in the accident.

“But 12 other families don’t know if they’re dead or alive,” said Smith, whose husband is an infantry officer and has served multiple times in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Witnesses at the beach reported seeing the helicopters and a fireball. There was no mayday call. Upon crashing at sea, helicopters like the big CH-53E Super Stallions involved flip over because the rotor and engine weight is on top, causing disorientation as the helicopter sinks. The Coast Guard said there were 8-foot swells Thursday.

Capt. Tim Irish, a public affairs officer for Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, said at a news conference that there are resources available for Marines and their families on base.

“The families of the Marines, they do have someone who’s in constant contact with them,” Irish said. An emergency family assistance center was put in place with counselors. Chaplains have been mobilized to assist.

More than 11,000 Marines and sailors are based at Kaneohe Bay, but within the community, sadness over the crash is widespread.

Irish said the elements of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force are in place — and in close proximity on the relatively small base — with logisticians, infantry and aviators always nearby.

“So really, across the officer and enlisted corps, you get to know the different Marines here,” he said. “It only takes a year or so to figure out who is who.”

He said he was as shocked as others to get the news of the major air accident.

“I can tell you for me personally, when I got this call (Thursday) night, it was really hard for me to believe,” he said. “My wife came in the room and she heard, and I cannot imagine the feelings those families are going through right now.”

Dangers highlighted

So far, because the search was ongoing, those feelings stopped short of the devastation that accompanied the deaths of 26 Kaneohe Marines and a Pearl Harbor sailor in the Jan. 26, 2005, crash of a CH-53E they were flying in when the helicopter went down in a sandstorm in western Iraq.

The Marines and sailor were remembered by the larger community in March of that year in a memorial service at the state Capitol. The row of boots and upturned rifle topped by a helmet in the traditional combat memorial seemed to extend forever.

Sixty-two family members representing 18 of the service members came to Hawaii from across the country for the memorial, which drew about 2,000 people.

“It’s always nice to see the community get out and show their support, but … it doesn’t get any easier,” said Melanie House at the time as she cradled James Cash House, born on Christmas Eve just a couple of months earlier. Petty Officer 3rd Class John D. House, 28, a corpsman from Ventura, Calif., who took care of and died alongside the Kaneohe Marines, saw his son only by video link-up.

There were 10 Schofield Barracks soldiers — set to come home in coming months — who perished in 2007 in a Black Hawk helicopter that went down near the oil city of Kirkuk, Iraq.

Back in 2001 six Schofield soldiers were killed and 11 others were injured when two Black Hawks collided in Kahuku during training. The list of fatal military helicopter crashes in combat and back home in Hawaii goes on, with Thursday’s off the North Shore the latest on that tragic list.

Words of support

Hawaii’s congressional delegation and Mayor Kirk Caldwell stepped forward to offer their hopes and prayers.

“My heart is with the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base service members involved in the tragic helicopter crash last night, and with their loved ones,” said U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “We must never forget the risks our service members take every single day, whether in training or in combat, as they put their lives on the line for the security of our nation.”

She said she would continue to closely monitor the search and rescue efforts.

“Our prayers go out to the Marines who went down in two CH-53 transport helicopters last night off the North Shore of Oahu,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz. “In the early hours, I am assured the maximum effort is underway to search for survivors by military and civilian crews in very difficult waters.”

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said her thoughts, too, were with the 12 Marines involved, their families “and the courageous military and civilian first responders who are working around the clock to bring our Marines home.”

“I visited with members of Helicopter Squadron 463, and was impressed with their dedication to their country and willingness to serve,” she said. “While we don’t yet have all the details of what happened, this incident underscores the hazardous conditions our men and women in uniform engage in each day in service to the United States.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Takai said, “I am hopeful for the search mission and am keeping those affected in my thoughts and prayers.”

A 26-year-old Marine sergeant at Aikahi Shopping Center, who was having lunch with his wife and three children, ages 5, 3 and 1, said, “It’s terrible, sad.”

“You know you could always be in danger,” he said, declining to give his name, citing Marine Corps policy. “Everybody knows the risk.”

Clifford Kauaula, an Army veteran and North Shore resident, taped an American flag to a tree at Haleiwa Beach Park on Friday afternoon and saluted. He said he wanted to pay his respects and honor those who have served the country.

“It doesn’t matter what (military) branch … we have a motto, we don’t leave anybody behind,” he said, tearing up. “I know what it’s like to be in the service, so I have empathy. This is my respect going to those who are serving and who have served. I hope for the best.”