The U.S. Navy has provided a major update on its search for a missing crew member.
The U.S. Navy has identified the airman who went missing over the Arabian Sea earlier this month as Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, the service announced Wednesday.
Edwards, a native of Oakland, Ore., was the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron 5 when he went missing July 1 after his MH-60S Seahawk helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea.
The Navy called off the search July 5 after more than 102 hours of round-the-clock search and rescue efforts over an area covering more than 14,000 square miles.
The search included ships and aircraft from two carrier strike groups, two patrol and reconnaissance squadrons flying P-8A Poseidon aircraft and several Air Force aircraft, the Navy said.
Three other crew members were retrieved after the landing and are in stable condition.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation, but “there is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action,” the Navy said.
“Commander Gabe Edwards was the epitome of selfless leadership, who dedicated himself to service and sacrifice for the last 20 years,” said Capt. Matthew Lewis, commander of Carrier Air Wing 7, in a statement.

“Our deepest gratitude and sympathy go out to his family, who should know that Gabe led his squadron, the HSC-5 ‘Nightdippers,’ with integrity and fortitude,” Capt. Matthew Lewis added.

Edwards was commissioned through the Naval ROTC program after graduating from Norfolk State University in 2006.

He earned his aviator “Wings of Gold” in 2008 as a helicopter pilot and served with HSC-22, the “Sea Knights,” and HSC-84, the “Red Wolves”; Naval Special Warfare Group 4 as the air-to-ground fires office and Joint Terminal Attack Controller; HSC-85, the “Firehawks,” and took command of HSC-5, the “Nightdippers,” in July 2025, his last command.

His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Edwards was selected for promotion to Captain in FY 2027 as well.

He leaves behind his wife, Rebecca Edwards, and two children.

“We are profoundly grateful to every Sailor, aviator, and Airman who devoted countless hours, extraordinary skill, and unwavering determination in the effort to bring Gabe home,” Rebecca Edwards said in a statement.

“Gabe has dedicated his life to serving his country with honor, courage, and commitment,” Edwards added.

There is no evidence that hostile action was involved in the emergency landing, although the cause is still under investigation, military officials said.

Equally remarkable is what the Navy didn’t say.

No cause has been given for the emergency landing. There is no explanation for the loss of one crew member and the recovery of the other four.

The loss raised to 14 the official American toll of war dead in the fighting with Iran.

The number has slowly risen as U.S. forces operate across a volatile theater that stretches from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz and into the broader Central Command footprint.

There have been harrowing episodes already in this conflict.

President Trump had previously promised to jail a leaker who disclosed a live rescue operation of a downed pilot in Iran, an act that highlighted the peril for American pilots and the security threat of unauthorized disclosures during active missions.

The campaign has seen flash points in the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. naval forces have had multiple encounters with Iranian forces, including the sinking of Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz as the administration warned Tehran of rising consequences.

Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. still wants a diplomatic solution, while President Trump wants to make a deal with Iran.

The US President used a late-night Thanksgiving post on Thursday in order to revive some of his harshest immigration rhetoric, targeting political rivals and calling for what he described as a permanent pause on migration from what he called “all Third World Countries.”

He began his Truth Social post with a typical holiday wish, but it soon turned into a long rant about immigration, rising crime, and his political rivals.

Trump stated his proposed migration freeze was prompted by a fatal shooting in Washington, D.C., in which the suspect is an Afghan national. He criticized “American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up,” suggesting that lenient immigration policies were to blame.

The 79-year-old president also returned to his usual talking points, repeating complaints about Somalia and Somali immigrants living in Minnesota. Earlier that evening, he told reporters that “Somalians have caused a lot of trouble” and asserted: “We’re not accepting their people anymore. We’re sending many of them back because they only bring problems.”

Trump continued to claim that Minnesota had become a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and argued that Somali refugees were “completely taking over” the state.

In one of the most inflammatory moments of his Thanksgiving message, the president Trump used an offensive slur to attack Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Frustrated by what he called politically correct immigration policies, Trump wrote that “The seriously r******d Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both.”

Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar and Immigration Policy

Trump directed insults at Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia and has lived in the U.S. for 30 years.

He labeled her “the worst ‘Congressman/woman’ in our Country” and mocked her attire, saying she was “always wrapped in her swaddling hijab.” He described her birthplace as a “decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation” and accused her of constantly complaining about America.

The president went on to place blame on immigration policies, criticizing the arrival of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused in the recent D.C. shooting. According to CNN, Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted it by the Trump administration in April 2025.

As a reporter noted that federal agencies reported thorough vetting of Afghan arrivals, Trump called her “stupid” and avoided confirming whether the suspect’s asylum approval occurred under his watch.

Trump, in his post, argued that many immigrants come from “failed nations or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels” and rely on what he described as “massive” welfare payments. After that, he renewed his call to “permanently pause migration” from all “Third World countries”, a step he said was necessary to “allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”

He said more that his administration would deport any foreign national deemed a security risk, a public charge, or “non-compatible with Western Civilization,” concluding that “only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”

Earlier on Thursday, Trump ordered a sweeping review of all green card holders from “countries of concern.” Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said the reexamination would be “full-scale” and argued that American safety was “non-negotiable.”

Closing his holiday message, Trum wrote: “Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!”