Military identifies U.S. Marine killed in Hawaii training accident

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine killed when a military aircraft made a "hard landing" during a training exercise in Hawaii was identified on Tuesday as a 24-year-old from Spokane, Washington. Lance Corporal Joshua Barron suffered fatal injuries when the MV-22 Osprey crashed-landed at Bellows Air Force Base in Windward Oahu on Sunday, the Marine Corps said in a statement. Three of the 21 other Marines on the aircraft remained hospitalized on Monday, it said. Barron was a tiltrotor crew chief assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. The unit left San Diego earlier in May for a seven-month deployment, with the first stop in Hawaii. "Words cannot express our sorrow at the tragic loss of this fine young man. He is the best our nation has to offer," unit commander Colonel Vance Cryer said in a statement. Barron's mother, Michelle, of Spokane Valley, told local broadcaster KXLY her son joined the Marines because he wanted to "do something bigger and better." "He just wanted to do something more with his life," she said. Barron won awards including the National Defense Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Marines Corps said. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Doina Chiacu)