DALTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher, of Pittsfield, will be laid to rest this week.
Galliher was among the eight crew members killed in a Nov. 29 Osprey helicopter crash off the coast of Japan, which occurred during a training mission. His remains were returned to the United States and to his family last week.
A wake will be held Tuesday from 2 to 6 p.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Community , 489 Main St. in Dalton, and Galliher’s funeral will take place Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the same location.
“Our hearts are filled with love and loss as we honor our beloved Jacob today and tomorrow,” the Galliher family said in a statement. “We are beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from those who loved Jake most, from throughout the Berkshires, from his Air Force and military family, from across Massachusetts and from around the world. Your love and support have brought us tremendous comfort, strength and solace during these unbearably difficult times.”
Galliher, 24, is survived by his wife, Ivy, and his two sons.
He has been mourned in Pittsfield and beyond in recent weeks, with Ivy in a statement describing him as “one of the strongest people I have ever known.”
“Jake’s life was a blessing and his memory a treasure,” the family said. “The way he has been honored since his tragic loss means so much to his family and we know will help his young children better understand the lasting impact their Dad had on everyone he met. We will love and honor Jacob, always.”
Authorities have worked to identify and recover all eight fallen airmen in the days and weeks since Nov. 29.
Military officials, in the meantime, announced that they had grounded the entire US Osprey fleet out of “an abundance of caution” while they continued to investigate this crash.
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