WASHINGTON — More than four weeks after Army Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara was killed in a midair crash over the Potomac River, his parents are still searching for answers — and closure.
Gary and Mary O’Hara recently attended the Legacy on Ice benefit in Washington on March 2, where they met the firefighters who recovered their son’s body and the rookie firefighter who stood watch over him for hours, NBC Washington reported.
“Just the respect that they showed for him, we appreciate it more than they will ever know,” Mary O’Hara said.
On the night of the crash, Probationary Firefighter Sean Wathan, a Marine, stood watch over Ryan O’Hara’s body, ensuring the fallen soldier was never alone.
“He wasn’t asked to do that. He took it upon himself,” Gary O’Hara said. “I never met him before that night, obviously I sing his praises now, but he just took it upon himself, and it’s what we do for one another.”
When Ryan O’Hara’s flag-draped body was released to the Army, firefighters from Truck 7 and Engine 18 stood at attention and saluted. Captain Sid Polish reflected on that night.
“All we cared about was bringing home the loved ones with honor, dignity, and respect,” Polish said.
Firefighters Gerald Bunn and Lieutenant Christopher Smith were the divers who recovered Ryan O’Hara from the wreckage. The O’Haras met them and spent several quiet moments together.
