One of the five Marines killed in a helicopter crash in California on Tuesday has been identified as a young man from Arizona who just got married last month.
Alec Langen, 23, who followed his father as a sergeant into the Marine Corps, was one of the passengers on board the CH-533 helicopter that crashed in the mountains outside San Diego. His mother, Karin Langen, told NBC 7..
“Alec Langen was one of the Marines aboard the helicopter that crashed on Tuesday,” his family said in a statement. “We will miss him very much.”
Langen was the crew chief during the ill-fated flight. his family told ABC15..
He married in January and was photographed kissing his bride, he said, adding that his family did not identify him.
As a child, Langen dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps and joining the Marines, recalled grieving loved ones.
“From the time he was three years old, he wanted to do what his daddy did,” his father, Stephen Langen, told ABC15. “I did the same thing. I was in the same helicopter from his ’86 to his ’95. Everything was the same.”
“Being a Marine was everything to Alec. Steve pinned his wings on him once he finished training. He adored his father,” Karen agreed.
The group was flying from Creech Air Force Base outside Las Vegas to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The Marine Corps later confirmed that all five people died in the accident. The names of the other four Marines have not yet been released.
“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we lost five outstanding Marines from the 3rd Marine Wing and the Flying Tigers during a training flight,” said Maj. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte, Army commander. Told. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing wrote:
The victims’ bodies are still being guarded by Marines while the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, officials added Thursday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “California joins the nation in mourning the tremendous loss of our Marines.”
“Their dedication to service to our country will always be remembered,” he said, according to NBC 7.
