Two fathers and the uncle of three of 5 Marines killed in a helicopter crash throughout a storm in Southern California this week are lamenting their deaths as avoidable.
“Maybe this is the one instance to where they wake the f— up and they say, ‘What are we doing to our service members? We’ve got to stop this,'” Steven Langen, father of Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, advised the New York Put up on Saturday.
Sgt. Alec Langen was serving as crew chief on the CH-53E Tremendous Stallion helicopter when it crashed within the mountains close to San Diego on Tuesday evening.
Steven Langen known as their deaths, “an all too familiar story in the military community.”
5 US MARINES CONFIRMED DEAD AFTER HELICOPTER WENT MISSING IN CALIFORNIA
The 5 Marines who have been killed in a CH-53E helicopter crash in Pine Valley, Calif., on Feb. 6, have been recognized. From left to proper, Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kan., Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Ariz., Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, N.H., and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse Metropolis, Mich. (U.S. Marine Corps | CalFIRE)
Bradford Moulton, whose nephew was Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, stated he wished the boys would have been stored “on the ground” in the course of the “thousand-year storm” once they have been flying from Creech Air Pressure Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar close to San Diego on a routine coaching train.
“They’re Marines, they fly in nasty weather, they do what they’re supposed to do,” he advised the Put up, “but I sure wish the operations officer would have kept them on the ground.” Moulton was one in every of two pilots on the helicopter.
Gregory Davis, a retired naval aviation officer and Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis’ father acknowledged, “Not only did it not have to happen, it should not have happened.”
MARINE KILLED IN CAMP PENDLETON TRAINING EXERCISE IDENTIFIED
Davis, 21, additionally served as a crew chief on the helicopter.
He added of his son, “He was so proud to be a Marine, he loved his job, he loved what he did. “We’re happy with Donovan and all the pieces he was in a position to accomplish in his brief 21 years.”
Langen said the only thing his son asked for on his 17th birthday was to enlist in the Marines. “The subsequent factor you understand, (there’s) a knock on the door. And there’s the Marine recruiter that’s standing there,” he remembered.
Moulton shared that Benjamin was determined on his career goals. “He was going to be a Marine pilot it doesn’t matter what,” he said. The 27-year-old was a pilot on the helicopter along with Capt. Jack Casey, 26, who was also killed in the crash.
Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, was the fifth victim in the crash.
“Miguel was the kindest soul you’d ever meet,” a fundraising page for his family said of him. “His heat, optimistic power, and compassion will likely be missed by all who have been grateful to know him.”
Lt. Col. Nicholas J. Harvey, commanding officer of the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 (HMH-361), stated of the 5 Marines after the crash: “We’ve been confronted with a tragedy that’s each service household’s worst worry. Our high precedence now’s supporting the households of our fallen heroes, and we ask to your respect and understanding as they grieve. The Flying Tigers household stands sturdy and contains the chums and group who’ve supported our squadron throughout this difficult time. We are going to get by means of this collectively.”
The last known contact with the Super Stallion was at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, when waves of downpours and snow were hitting the region during an “atmospheric river.”
The CH-53E Super Stallion is the largest helicopter in the military and is designed to fly through bad weather, even at night.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
A U.S. military CV-22 Osprey takes off from Iwakuni base, Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan. The Osprey fleet was grounded in December after eight Air Force service members were killed in a crash off Japan. (Kyodo News via AP / File)
Davis enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 3, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on Jan. 1 of this year. His decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Langen enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 14, 2017, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on Oct. 1, 2022. His decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Moulton was commissioned into the Marine Corps on March 29, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on Aug. 1, 2023. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal.
Meanwhile, Casey was commissioned in the Marine Corps on May 16, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on Sept. 1, 2023. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal.
Nava was commissioned into the Marine Corps on May 26, 2017, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on Nov. 1, 2021. His decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The entrance to Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif. (AP Photo / Gregory Bull / File)
In December, a Marine was killed and 14 others injured in a training crash at Camp Pendleton in Southern California when a tactical vehicle rolled over.
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Last November, five Army special operations soldiers were killed in a training “mishap” when their helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean and eight Air Force service members died in an Osprey crash off the coast of Japan when the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure.
The Osprey fleet has been grounded for the reason that crash because the Air Pressure weighs when it is secure to return to service.
The Marines didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s Saturday night request for remark.
Fox Information Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
