PHOENIX — Friday marks one year since 23-year-old Sergeant Alec Langen was killed along with four other Marines during a military training exercise outside San Diego, California. The Tiger 43 Crew was in a Blackhawk helicopter that went down.
“I think we live every day just trying to figure it out,” said Caryn Langen, Alec’s mother. His father Steve, added, “We breathe a little bit easier every day and you know this is the last chapter of a year of firsts.”
The Langen Family received community support after sharing their son’s story with ABC15. Support garnered attention and grew into their foundation: Running4alec. It raises money for loved ones impacted by aircraft mishaps.
On January 30th, a commercial airplane crashed with an army Blackhawk helicopter and all 67 people died. That incident reopened wounds for the Langens.
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“We work for an airline,” Steve said. “We fly a lot and so on that aspect, it hit close to home. But then it was another helicopter, same manufacturer,”.
Their son was a crew chief of a Blackhawk helicopter that crashed and they're still waiting on answers. Unlike commercial planes, most military aircraft don't have cockpit voice recorders.
“Would we know more at this point if there was a data recorder? Probably,” Caryn said. “Would we be able to hear their voices one last time? Probably. Would that help? I don't know."
The Langens requested and shared with ABC15 the preliminary documents for Alec’s death. It's heavily redacted and states Alec died in the "line of duty and not due to the member's own misconduct."
In a statement, a spokesperson with the Marines tells ABC15, “The investigation process is ongoing as we systematically follow all required administrative steps to conclusion. We will share additional information once the process is concluded.” Major Natalie B. Batcheler, USMC.
But grief is ongoing for the Langens. Facing it head-on, on Friday, Steve and Caryn will hike to the Tiger 43 crash site in California.
“I just want to kind of go there and tell him I miss him every day, every hour,” Caryn said.
"I just, I just want to sit with my son for just a minute,” Steve added.
Their grief doesn't stop after 365 days of losing their son, it just looks different.
