Waters-bey, Kendall Damon

Staff Sergeant Kendall Damon Waters-bey was a 29-year-old Marine from Baltimore, Maryland. He served as an aerial observer and crew chief with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (HMM-268), part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California.

On March 21, 2003, Waters-bey was aboard a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter conducting a night-time troop insertion mission in support of the invasion of Iraq. The helicopter crashed in the Umm Qasr region of northern Kuwait, near the Iraqi border. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the crash was caused by a brownout—a loss of visibility due to swirling dust and sand—during landing. All eight U.S. Marines and four British Royal Marines on board were killed.

The crash occurred on the second day of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a U.S.-led invasion that began on March 20, 2003. The mission was part of the initial air assault to secure the Rumaila oil fields and the port of Umm Qasr. The incident was one of the first major coalition losses of the war.

Waters-bey's death was reported by major news outlets, including The Baltimore Sun, which noted his local roots. The U.S. Marine Corps confirmed the casualties and the cause of the crash. A memorial service was held for the squadron at Camp Pendleton.

Waters-bey is remembered on the Iraq War memorial at Camp Pendleton and is listed on the Iraq War Veterans Memorial online. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. His unit, HMM-268, continued operations throughout the war.

Staff Sergeant Waters-bey was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2010). The conflict concluded in August 2010. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Cronkrite, Brud Joseph, Creager, Timothy Ryan, Crackel, Alexander Bailey, Cox, Simon Timothy Jr.

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