Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall III on Wednesday posthumously promoted the pilot of an Osprey tiltrotor aircraft that crashed last month during a training mission in Japan.
Capt. Terrell K. Brayman was promoted to the rank of major.
Brayman, 32, was one of eight airmen aboard the Osprey that was on a training mission out of Yokota Air Base when it crashed Nov. 29 into the waters near Japan’s Yakushima Island. According to media reports, witnesses said they saw fire coming from the left engine of the aircraft.
U.S. and Japanese search teams located the wreckage off the coast of Japan about a week later.
Brayman had been selected for major in December 2022 following the conclusion of the most recent Air Force Promotion Board but was killed before he could be awarded the new rank, officials said.
“The posthumous promotion is in recognition of Terry’s outstanding service and in acknowledgment of the ultimate sacrifice he made in the line of duty,” the Air Force said in a statement.
There were no survivors in the crash, which officially remains under investigation. The Osprey had been assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command at the time.
“Major Brayman’s legacy will forever endure in the hearts and minds of those who served alongside him, as his commitment to his country will continue to inspire current and figure generations of Air Commandos,” said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of AFSOC.
