I apologize for any confusion caused. Here is the revised response without any added descriptions:
The parents of 23-year-old Sgt. Alec Langen have identified him as one of the five Marines who were tragically killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down in the mountains close to San Diego on Tuesday.
In a heartbreaking interview with ABC San Diego, Steve and Caryn Langen revealed that their son got married a little over a month before his death. It was his new bride who told his parents that their son had not returned home following the accident.
‘He died with people he wanted to be with, doing what he loved and wanted to do,’ his father told the station through tears. Their son, a native of Arizona, had been serving as crew chief on the doomed flight.
The military confirmed Thursday that all five Marines were killed when their helicopter went down during stormy weather, and efforts were underway to recover their remains.
Marine Corps officials notified the families in person while Marines have been stationed round-the-clock at the site to stay with the remains, said Col. James C. Ford, operations officer with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
In his interview, Steve Langen revealed that he too served on the same helicopter as his son for the Marines between 1986 and 1995.
‘We are so thankful to the San Diego responders that went up there and searched for them and found that crew. Without them, they wouldn’t be coming home,’ his mother said.
According to a Facebook post from his mother, Alec married his wife Casey in early January and were planning to move to North Carolina where he was going to be stationed.
Citing the ‘hazardous terrain and weather’ at the site, Ford said the ground recovery efforts will take place over the coming weeks as an investigation into the crash is conducted.
Per military policy, the names of the Marines are not released until 24 hours after all next-of-kin have been notified.
Marine Corps leaders, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and President Joe Biden expressed their condolences.
‘It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness that I share the loss of five outstanding Marines from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and the ‘Flying Tigers,’ Maj. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte, commander of the wing, said in a statement.
Authorities say the CH-53E Super Stallion vanished late Tuesday night while conducting a flight training on their way back to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego from Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas.
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, Mike Cornette of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told CBS 8 news.
That location was based on a ‘ping’ reported to a Cal Fire dispatch center.
Measuring about 99 feet long and weighing nearly 35 tons, the CH-53E Super Stallion has been used in combat and other operations around the world for more than three decades, including in Beirut, Somalia, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, according to a U.S. Navy website.
In 2018, four Marines from Miramar died when their Super Stallion crashed near El Centro, near the California-Mexico border, during a training mission.
The Marine Corps ruled out pilot error for the accident. The victims’ families later sued two companies they alleged provided a defective part that they blamed for the crash.
In 2005, a Super Stallion went down in a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 31 people on board. The accident, blamed on pilot error, was the single deadliest loss of U.S. troops during the war.
The craft was discovered Wednesday morning near Pine Valley, an hour’s drive from San Diego.
The mountain community is at about 3,700 feet in elevation in the Cuyamaca Mountains, an area which saw as much as 8 inches of accumulating snow within hours Tuesday night and early Wednesday and saw more falling Wednesday night, forecasters said.
The area includes San Diego County’s second-highest mountain, Cuyamaca Peak, at 6,512 feet (1,985 meters) and is also near the Cleveland National Forest, which covers 720 square miles (1,860 square kilometers) with much of it steep, rocky and with limited trails.
The five Marines were assigned to Miramar’s Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Miramar.
Capt. Stephanie Leguizamon, spokesperson for the wing, said she had little information beyond the statement but noted that recovery efforts were being hampered by snowfall from the storm that was moving out of California on Thursday.
Despite the grief of this tragic incident, Sgt. Alec Langen will be remembered by his family as a brave Marine who lost his life while doing what he loved and serving his country. The recovery efforts and investigation into the crash will continue in the difficult terrain and weather conditions of the Cuyamaca Mountains. As we mourn the loss of these five Marines, their dedication and sacrifice will be honored.
