NEWS

Iowa airman drowns while swimming in Guam

Danielle Ferguson
Des Moines Register

A 20-year-old member of the Iowa National Guard drowned while swimming in Guam on Saturday.

Senior Airman Drew Bellairs of Osage drowned while swimming at Marbo Cave in Mangilao, Guam. He was a member of the Maintenance Group, 185th Air Refueling Wing, according to an Iowa National Guard news release.

Col. Greg Hapgood with the Iowa National Guard said Bellairs and a group of friends were swimming for fun in an area where there were a number of caves. Bellairs went swimming in an air pocket of a cave and wasn’t able to get out, Hapgood said.

His friends left to get scuba equipment to see if they could help Bellairs out of the area, but when they returned, Bellairs was unresponsive.

Bellairs was technically on duty because he was on Title 10 status, meaning he’s on duty 24 hours a day, Hapgood said.

Bellairs was assigned to the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. He enlisted in July 2012 as an aerospace maintenance journeyman, according to the release. He graduated from Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and then attended the aerospace maintenance apprentice course.

Bellairs, who had previously deployed to Japan for a typhoon response, has earned: an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal.

Bellairs was born in Greeneville, S.C., and graduated from Osage High School in 2013. He participated in chorus, band, cross country, basketball and golf.

He was a student at Iowa State University pursuing a degree in criminal justice. He was active in the ISU Flying Club and Skiing Club.

Bellairs is survived by his father and mother, David and Beth Bellairs, sisters Jenny and Natalie Bellairs, and brother Sam Bellairs, all of Osage.

Funeral arrangements are pending.