The US Military Has Officially Identified the Five Marines Who Were Killed In The California Helicopter Crash

The Marines, recognized for their service, belonged to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, which is a part of Marine Aircraft Group 16 within the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. They were stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

Lt Col Nicholas J Harvey, the commanding officer of the squadron, expressed, “We have been faced with a tragedy that is every service family’s worst fear. The Flying Tigers family remains resilient, encompassing the friends and community who have stood by our squadron during this difficult period. Together, we will overcome this.”

The youngest Marine was Lance Cpl Donovan Davis, aged 21, from Olathe, Kansas, who had been promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on New Year’s Day. The oldest was Capt Miguel Nava, aged 28, from Traverse City, Michigan.

Davis and Sgt Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, had both been crew chiefs. The others had been CH-53E pilots.

“We will miss him dearly,” expressed Caryn Langen, the mother of Sgt Alec Langen, in an interview with KNSD-TV of San Diego.

Capt Jack Casey, aged 26 and hailing from Dover, New Hampshire, and Capt Benjamin Moulton, aged 27 from Emmett, Idaho, were the other pilots on board.

On Tuesday night, the Super Stallion helicopter vanished during its return trip from Creech Air Force Base to Miramar. The following morning, it was located near the mountain community of Pine Valley.

On Thursday, the military verified that all five Marines perished in the helicopter crash during stormy weather. Col James C Ford, the operations officer with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, stated that efforts to recover their remains are in progress, with an estimated timeline of weeks due to the challenging terrain and weather conditions. In the meantime, Marines are stationed with the remains around the clock, upholding their ethos of never leaving any Marine behind.