Jacksonville, FL — “This was a man who lived his faith. He didn’t tell people about it, he showed you. His fellow Marines depended on him, no matter what.”
It's how Sgt. Joseph Murray's father, Terry, is remembering the Marine, who we've now confirmed is among the 16 service members killed during Monday's crash of a KC-130 in Mississippi.
“Joe was always the center, even though he wasn’t trying to be. In every family event or every situation I was ever in, whether it was with his fellow Marines or anyone, somehow people gravitates around him,” Terry says.
Joseph Murray started calling Jacksonville home when he was about ten, eventually graduating from Landmark and then Sandalwood. He met his wife- who’s family is also in Jacksonville- through a mutual friend, and by Murray’s second deployment, they were married.
“His family- his wife and children- were the focus of his life. No matter where he was in the world, he was always in their thoughts, and any time he could get word back to them, he would,” Terry says.
The couple was living with their 5-year-old, 3-year-old, and twin one-year-olds in North Carolina, where Murray worked special operations. Terry says it was actually a surprise to the family when Joseph decided to join the Marine Corps, because both Terry and his wife served in the military, and Joseph always said that would not be his path.
Within just a few years, Joseph earned three meritorious promotions.
“When Joseph decided to do something, he went all in. He didn’t look for the easy way, he looked for the right way,” Terry says.
In addition to being a devoted husband and father, Terry says Joseph was a man of God.
“Joseph was driven by his commitment to serve others, so he could reflect his faith. He didn’t want to tell someone about his faith, he wanted to show them. He didn’t have to think about that, that’s who he was,” Terry says.
Pastor Donnie Hutto, with Atlantic Beach Assembly of God, says the church family is rallying around them following the tragedy.
“He went all in with the Marines, it’s like he found his passion. He was a Marine”, said Hutto.
No official cause for the crash of the KC-130T aircraft on Monday has been determined. Brigadier General Bradley S. James told a news conference today that two large impact areas indicate something went wrong at cruising altitude.
The crash claimed the lives of 15 Marines and one Navy Corpsman. James said the flight was carrying a team from the Marine Base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
