"" UPDATE: According to NBC Philadelphia:

A Navy sailor from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was officially identified Thursday as one of 10 sailors who went missing in a crash between a destroyer and a tanker Sunday off the coasts of Malaysia and Singapore.The body of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, is the only one to be recovered so far following 80 hours of search and rescue efforts in a 2,100-square-mile swath of sea east of the Strait of Malacca


ORIGINAL STORY: It's very surreal knowing that someone you went to high school with is now a national focus...

Kenneth Smith, 22 of Cherry Hill, NJ is one of 10 sailors who remain unaccounted for after the U.S. Navy missile destroyer named USS John S. McCain was hit by an oil tanker off the coast of Malaysia on Monday.

Two Navy officers showed up on Smith's family's doorstep earlier in the day, to notify them that he was missing.

The family is confident in their son's Navy training, and are hopeful of his safe return.

Students at Cherry Hill East High School are remembering Smith with kind words. Lexie Mullner, Smith's friend and former classmate, told NBC10 Philadelphia that, "he always wanted to join the Navy and follow in his father's footsteps."
As for what actually happened, according to NBC 10:

The Alnic MC, a 30,000-ton, 600-foot long ship sailing under the Liberian flag, punched a large hole in the USS McCain's rear port hull when the two collided. Crew sleeping quarters, machinery and communications rooms were damaged. Five sailors were hurt in addition to those who went missing.

NBC says that remains of some American sailors have been recovered as of Tuesday, however, none have been identified.
Please keep this South Jersey family in your thoughts and prayers!


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