This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Sgt Edson Franklin Bellis
to remember
Marine LtCol Peter E Yount (Gator).
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Contact Info
Date of Passing Apr 22, 1998
Location of Interment Desert Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery - Yuma, Arizona
Yount ejected after his engine failed during a training flight over the Imperial Valley. He was killed when his seat rotated out of position and his parachute harness straps snapped against his helmet, breaking his neck. He was 42, a venerated Marine pilot who was about to become a squadron commander. He had two daughters, 4 and 2. The investigation concluded that an "incorrectly installed" fastener on the gas turbine starter led to the engine flameout that crippled Yount's AV-8B, and the ejection killed him. The crash led to changes in the ejection system. Yount graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in nuclear engineering. "He told me once, 'When I'm in the plane, you don't have to worry because I'm in control of what's going on,' " said his widow, Janet Yount. "Pete Yount was one of those rare guys who was very, very smart, very outgoing and a great pilot," said retired Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle, chief of Marine aviation at the time. "Here was a guy who did every single thing correctly and still the airplane ended up letting him down."
Other Comments:
Harrier Pilots - All shared a devotion to the corps and to the Harrier's special mission of using Marine air power to protect Marines on the ground. Some came from military families, with fathers and even grandfathers who had flown or fought in America's wars. Others stunned their parents when they announced plans to enlist and learn to fly. They typically were high achievers in school and in flight training. Some chose to fly the Harrier, invigorated by the challenge. Others were assigned to the plane by the Marines. They died in fiery explosions and ill-timed ejections. Some made fatal mistakes. Some did everything right and perished anyway.
