Grief is an inadequate word to describe the emotion now strangling the friends and families of Lewiston High School students Nick Babcock, Shannon Fortier and Teisha Loesberg, and of pilot Charlie Weir.

There truly is no word forceful enough, descriptive enough, encompassing enough to define what is an utter tragedy.

The teens and their pilot died Thursday while flying over mountainous terrain in Newry. The teens had been participating in a training camp at the Army National Guard site at Bog Brook in Gilead as part of their Air Force Junior ROTC program, and Weir was providing introductory flight lessons for the group.

Weir, a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was preparing to graduate in August.

Babcock, looking forward to his senior year at LHS, planned to study marine biology.

Fortier, a competitive swimmer and member of Holy Family Church, was determined to become an Air Force pilot.

Loesberg, who was also looking forward to her senior year in high school, was taking college courses in preparation for what she hoped would be a career in law enforcement.

The cause of their deaths has not yet been determined.

The causes that focused their young lives were many and good.

The joint Junior ROTC program at LHS and Edward Little High School offers teens an opportunity to peer ahead to the future, to get a sense of what a career in the Armed Forces may have to offer them and what they might offer in service to their country. However, it’s not a program limited to military and physical exercise. It’s a program of community service that greatly benefits the Twin Cities.

On Flag Day, just 11 days ago, the ROTC color guard was present at the ceremony unveiling the Civil War-era American Flag that once flew over Lewiston High School and is now encased in the Dingley Building.

During the Memorial Day weekend, cadets proudly participated in the annual Lewiston-Auburn Memorial Day parade and ceremony at Kennedy Park.

In April, they joined the Lewiston police and fire departments to help the Recreation Department put on an Easter Egg Hunt for children at the armory.

Last year, the cadets participated in a ceremony honoring World War II veterans in the memorial garden at LHS. They participate in the annual Voice of Democracy program sponsored by the Longley-Dionne Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

These teens, loved by their community, contributed to their community in meaningful ways. They worked hard in school, competed in sports and fostered close friendships.

The loss of these three teens, from a 33-cadet ROTC program, and the loss of Weir, who was at the start of a career as a pilot and flight instructor, is hard-felt.

On Friday, as rescuers were removing the bodies of their friends from Barker Mountain, the remaining 30 members of the ROTC program raised their hands in salute to the deceased cadets during a flag-raising ceremony at the high school. It was a courageous gesture of love and respect, and we offer our deepest sympathies to the friends and families of the four victims.