The United States Marine Corps has identified five aircrew killed in a tragic MV-22 Osprey crash on June 8 in Imperial County, California.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) identified the two pilots and three crew chiefs as:
Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California
Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire
Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois
Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming.
LCpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.
All were assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor (VMM) Squadron 364 “Purple Foxes,” Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39, 3rd MAW, and were based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California.
The wing released a statement from VMM-364’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. John C. Miller
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of five Marines from the Purple Fox family,” Miller said. “This is an extremely difficult time for VMM-364 and it is hard to express the impact that this loss has had on our squadron and its families.
“Our primary mission now is taking care of the family members of our fallen Marines and we respectfully request privacy for their families as they navigate this difficult time. We appreciate all the prayers and support from the strong extended Purple Fox family and want them to know that more information will be forthcoming on how to help.”
A Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3 (HSC-3) based out of Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego crashed near El Centro the next day, June 10, though all four onboard survived. Five days earlier a Super Hornet crashed near China Lake, in the Mojave Desert, killing the pilot.
Suffice it to say this has been a very hard month for naval aviation in California. Our deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who perished in these incidents.
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