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One of the five marines onboard a helicopter that crashed in Southern California is from Arizona, according to family members.
A marine from Arizona was onboard a military helicopter that crashed in the mountains outside of San Diego. On the afternoon of Feb. 8, we spoke with the wife of Sgt. Alec Langen, who confirmed that her husband was one of the five victims in the crash.
Langen and four other marines were on the CH-53E helicopter at the time of the crash. The helicopter went missing late Tuesday night while returning to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego after training at Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press.The helicopter was found Wednesday morning near the mountain community of Pine Valley, about an hour drive from San Diego.The names of the five marines won't officially be released until 24 hours after next of kin is notified. Investigators are looking at whether it was appropriate to send troops into a region being hit with an intense storm.Langen's wife, Cassandra, said they are newlyweds. Cassandra also said she had no idea her marriage was going to be cut short."He was supposed to be home by 1 o'clock, and he wasn’t," Cassandra recalled. "My messages weren’t sending, and my last message from him was at 10."When Cassandra got a knock at her front doorstep, her worst fear became reality."I officially found out when they had come to the door to report that he was missing," said Cassandra.Sgt. Langen was the crew chief on the flight with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361. To Cassandra, however, Sgt. Langen was much more than that."He was everything I could have dreamed about," said Cassandra. "He was so funny. He would make me laugh, even when I was in no mood to want to laugh. He was so generous, he would care for so many people."The couple met nearly a year ago, and it didn't take long for either of them to realize they wanted to be in each other's lives, forever. They tied the knot in Sedona."It was 100% the best year of my life," said Cassandra.A year full of love that Cassandra said she will cherish for the rest of her life."Just hold on to what you love," said Cassandra. "you never know for how long you’re going to have it."The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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