PHOENIX — All state flags in Arizona are lowered to half-staff on Wednesday, Feb. 14, to honor fallen Marine Sergeant Alec Langen of Chandler.
Sgt. Langen was one of the five U.S. Marines who died in a helicopter crash near San Diego last week.
On Tuesday, February 6, Langen and the other Marines were returning to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego after training at Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas when their helicopter crashed. The wreckage was located the following day near the mountain community of Pine Valley, about an hour away from San Diego.
His father, Steven Langen, tells ABC15 that the family is traveling out of state for memorial services before returning to Arizona for private services.
In a statement, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said:
“It is with great sorrow that we learned that Sergeant Alec Langen, of Chandler, was one of the five Marines killed during a training flight in California. We lift up his family, especially his wife Casey and his parents, Steven and Caryn Langen, and mourn alongside them for the loss of this talented and selfless young man, who spent his life in service to others.”
ABC15’s sister station 10News spoke with Langen’s wife, Casey, who shared they had just gotten married last month in Sedona.