Gunnery Sgt. Brandon McGraw, age 33, was pronounced dead at the scene after a skydiving accident during a trip to Australia, won on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
According to NBCNews.com, Cherilyn McGraw, his wife, performed a successful tandem jump and landed safely. However, something went very wrong with McGraw’s jump.
US Weekly reported that an employee from the skydiving school says that McGraw’s parachute caused him to veer right, then left and crash into the ground from 300 feet. Ellen, due to Cherilyn’s wishes, has chosen to keep this private and off of the Ellen Show until his wife has had time to deal with this tragedy.
Suzanne Bonnette, a neighbor from North Carolina, says that Brandon went the way that he would have wanted to. This was not McGraw’s first time skydiving. It was an activity that he enjoyed in his spare time.
The accident remains under investigation.
According to Marine officials, McGraw served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was decorated with 20 medals and ribbons during his time serving our country.