June 16, 2022 |
The photograph on the GoFundMe page for the young family of the Wyoming Marine killed last week during a training flight in California is telling. It shows Corporal Seth Rasmuson of Buffalo standing with the high school sweetheart he married. In Avery Rasmuson’s arms is their seven-month old baby. The family is standing in front of an MV-22B-Osprey.
The young corporal and four other Marines died last week when their Osprey crashed during a training mission in the remote desert of southern California.
A week after the fatal crash, more is known about Cpl. Rasmuson. His hometown newspaper, the Buffalo Bulletin, reports that the 21-year-old wanted to be a Marine from the time he in the seventh or eighth grade.
He married to his high school sweetheart, and together the couple had an infant son. Rasmuson and his wife planning for civilian life after his five-year commitment to the U.S. Marine Corps was due to expire next year.
Cpl. Rasmuson, Buffalo High School Class of 2019, was among the five Marines killed on June 8th. The crash remains under investigation.
Also killed were two pilots, Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, and Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California, and two tiltrotor crew chiefs, Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois, and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.
Also a crew chief, Cpl. Rasmuson served one overseas deployment. He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Cpl. Rasmuson’s father, Curtis Rasmuson, told the Buffalo Bulletin that while growing up, his son loved big game hunting, fishing, riding his dirt bike around town with his friend an playing baseball and hockey.
His childhood friend and baseball teammate Christian Rhoads said Rasmuson “could always put a smile on your face no matter the circumstances.”
Cpl. Rasmuson finished high school early, earning his diploma in December 2018.
After turning 18 in February 2019, he shipped off to boot camp in March 2019.
In spring 2020, Cpl. Ramuson married Avery Burtenshaw in a small ceremony in Buffalo. Their son, Reed, was born in October 2021.
The family will hold a funeral in Buffalo at a date to be announced. Per his wishes, Cpl. Rasmuson will be laid to rest in Little Dane Cemetery in Saint Onge, South Dakota.
A GoFundMe account was established to benefit Cpl. Rasmuson’s wife and son. As of Thursday morning, $21,890 had been pledged so far.
