Rifles, flight gear, boots and a wreath with photos of each of five Marines who died in a helicopter crash two weeks ago are memorialized at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2024. (Antonio De La Fuente/U.S. Marine Corps)
More than 550 people — Marine aviators, crew, family and friends — gathered Friday at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to remember five Marines who died two weeks ago in a helicopter crash east of the base near San Diego.
A memorial of five flight helmets, flight gear and boots resting on rifles stood beside wreaths and photo portraits of the men, all members of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The ceremony took place at Miramar’s Hangar 4, home to the squadron, according to a statement from service officials.
The Marines were killed Feb. 6 when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down at Pine Valley, Calif. The crew were on a night flight between Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas and Miramar. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Top row from left, Capt. Jack Casey, Capt. Benjamin Moulton, Capt. Miguel Nava. Bottom row from left, Sgt. Alec Langen, Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis. (U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marines who died were:
Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, N.H., a CH-53E helicopter pilot.
Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kan., a CH-53E helicopter crew chief.
Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Ariz., a CH-53E helicopter crew chief.
Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, a CH-53E helicopter pilot.
Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Mich., a CH-53E helicopter pilot.
“There are no words that can express the pain that one feels when losing a loved one — a fellow Marine, a nephew, a brother, a son, a husband, a father,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas Harvey, the squadron commanding officer. “We can feel the presence of everyone in this hangar today, and that speaks volumes to the love, kinship and brotherhood we share with our fallen Marines.”
Each of the fallen squadron members who died was remembered by a friend with personal stories of shared experiences that had a positive impact on the speakers’ lives, service officials said.
Lance Cpl. Owen Preble, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief, spoke on behalf of Davis, reflecting on their time together in training and with the squadron.
“This was a tragic event for all of us,” Preble said. “The squadron has received love and support, and everyone has come together.”
Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing present arms Feb. 16, 2024, following a 21-gun salute at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., to honor five Marines who died in a recent helicopter crash. ( Antonio De La Fuente/U.S. Marine Corps)
The national anthem was played, eulogies and a poem read, and the “Marine Prayer” recited. An honor guard in Marine camouflage uniforms and white gloves gave a 21-gun salute, with each of seven rifle bearers firing three shots in unison, according to a service statement.
Sgt. Maj. Damien Blaise, the senior non-commissioned officer with squadron 361, made the final roll call of the fallen — by tradition, the last time the crew members’ names are called out in the Marine Corps.
A bugler with the wing’s band played taps and then retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Joel Daniel played “Lord Lovat’s Lament” on bagpipes to end the ceremony.
