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Family Members Killed In Jet Crash Laid To Rest

POSTED: 11:25 am PST December 12, 2008
UPDATED: 11:23 am PST December 15, 2008

Funeral services were held Saturday for four family members killed when a fighter jet crashed into their home.

Young Mi Yoon, 36; her daughters, 15-month-old Grace and 7-week-old Rachel; and Yoon's 60-year-old mother, Seokim Kim, were remembered during an afternoon funeral at Glenn Abbey Memorial Park & Mortuary in Bonita.

The Yoons' Cather Avenue home was hit by a Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet that apparently lost power and crashed and burned just before noon Monday.

The pilot, Lt. Dan Neubauer, ejected safely at about 2,200 feet just before the crash. When he was rescued from the tree where his parachute snagged, he was reported to be intensely concerned about what happened.

Don Yoon, 37, was at work when his wife, daughters and mother-in-law perished. The impact destroyed their rented two-story house, along with a vacant home next door.

Don Yoon's wife and daughters were in the same casket during the emotional funeral service, which drew tears from family members and strangers who attended to express their sympathies.

The commander of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Col. Christopher O'Connor, and other Marines attended the ceremony, along with dozens of members of the public.

On Thursday, the secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter, meet with Yoon to express his sympathy. Don Yoon, who came to the United States from Korea in 1989, helps run his brother-in-law's store. His wife, who arrived about four years ago, was a registered nurse.

Neubauer had taken off from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, where he was training, when one of the jet's engines failed over the ocean as he was returning to MCAS Miramar, according to Marine Corps officials.

He was ordered to fly to Miramar rather than return to the ship. While flying over northern San Diego, the jet lost its second engine, forcing him to bail out with seconds to spare.

While asserting that Neubauer followed proper procedure, military authorities have promised measures ensuring that such a tragedy will never happen again.

On Friday, about 20 Marines went door-to-door in the neighborhood, handing out fliers that expressed the Marine Corps' sorrow. People who want to file claims for damage can call 858-577-1875.

The Yoons' church, Korean United Methodist, established a memorial fund. Those wishing to contribute can send checks in care of Don Yoon, Account No. 200-717-333, Hanmi Bank, San Diego Branch, 4637 Convoy St., Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92111.

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