LOS ANGELES (AP) – Former Los Angeles Dodgers player Steve Sax has issued a statement saying his 33-year-old son, who had always dreamed of being a pilot, was among the five U.S. Marines killed in an accident flight training earlier this week in the California desert.
Captain John J. Sax was among the crew of an Osprey rocker plane that crashed during training in a remote area of Imperial County, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) east of St. John’s. Diego is about 50 miles (80 km) from Yuma, Arizona.
“It is with total devastation that I announce that my beautiful son, Johnny, was one of five U.S. Marines who died on Wednesday, June 8 in the Osprey Military crash near San Diego,” he said. Steve Sax in a statement released Saturday by CBSLA. -TV.
“For those of you who met Johnny, you saw his big smile, his bright light, his love for his family, the Marines, the joy of flying planes and defending our country! He was my hero and the best man I know, there was no better person to defend our country ”.
The former Dodger said his son had wanted to be a pilot since he was young and would talk about the types of planes that flew overhead while playing on the Little League baseball field.
“From an early age there was no doubt that Johnny would be a pilot and his passion was flying!” said the statement. “This loss will change my life forever and it is a loss not only for the Marines but for this world!”
Steve Sax played in the Major Leagues from 1981 to 1994, winning two world championships during his seven years as a second baseman with the Dodgers. The fans and the team offered their condolences on social media.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers are saddened to learn of the death of Steve Sax’s son, John, and the five Marines who lost their lives in this week’s tragic helicopter crash. family and friends, “the Dodgers said in a tweet Saturday.
John J. Sax, of Placer, California, was one of two pilots killed in the crash, along with Captain Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire.
Three tilting rotor crew heads also died: Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming; and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.
The Marines were based at Camp Pendleton and were assigned to the 364th Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron of Marine Group 39, part of the 3rd Wing of Marine Aircraft based at Marine Corps Miramar Air Station in San Diego.
The Osprey, a hybrid plane and helicopter, flew in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but some have been criticized for being unsafe. It is designed to take off like a helicopter, rotate its propellers to a horizontal position and sail like an airplane.
The cause of the accident is being investigated.