Watch CBS News

Hingham Marine Killed In Hawaii Crash Honored In Memorial Service

HINGHAM, Mass. (CBS/AP) — Hingham said its final goodbyes Friday to a local Marine who died in a helicopter crash in Hawaii earlier this year.

A memorial service for 23-year-old Cpl. Christopher Orlando was held at St. Paul Catholic Church.

Orlando Hingham Service
A memorial service was held for Christopher Orlando. (WBZ-TV)

The service came three-and-a-half months after Orlando and 11 other Marines died Jan. 14 in a midair collision of two helicopters during a nighttime training mission off Hawaii's coast.

Friday's service included eulogies and a presentation of military honors to his parents. Gov. Charlie Baker was among those in attendance.

At the service, his sister said he touched many lives in his short 23 years. "Reflecting on Chris's life, I have a huge hole in my heart, and judging by the turnout today, so do all of you," his sister Gina Orlando-Devine said.

"In him I saw everything I wanted to be and everything I loved about humanity," Orlando's cousin Conor Higgins said.

Massachusetts State Police Lt. Col. Thomas Grenham said Friday's service showed an outpouring support for Orlando's family.

"There is never closure in an instance like this. They will never have closure," said Grenham. "But when they see everyone come together and the support they have, they're all coming together for Christopher."

Hawaiian Military Crash Christopher Orlando
Marine Cpl. Christopher Orlando was on board when two military helicopters crashed off of Hawaii Jan. 14, 2016. (WBZ-TV)

Orlando had been in the Marines more than three years and was stationed at Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

Only traces of DNA were found in the recovery effort following the crash.

"When you grow up and you graduate and you decide to enter into a career in service and go into the Marines, I think that says something special about him and how he was brought up," said Grenham.

Orlando Hingham Service
Massachusetts State Police at the memorial service for Christopher Orlando. (WBZ-TV)

Hingham resident Debra Lally said Hingham residents were proud to show their support for Orlando.

"A town of many. But underlying, we are all one," Lally said.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.