Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps, awarded the service's highest noncombat award for heroism -- the Navy and Marine Corps Medal -- to Collart's family in a small but well-attended ceremony at Marine Corps Barracks Washington, right outside of the head Marine's own home.
Collart, a young, but seasoned crew chief, escaped the aircraft in August 2023 after it crashed on an island north of the Australian mainland during a training exercise. Realizing that the two Osprey pilots -- Maj. Tobin Lewis and Capt. Eleanor LeBeau -- were still trapped inside the burning aircraft, he reentered the wreckage in an attempt to save them, but all three tragically perished.