Five Marines killed in California aircraft crash identified

The five Marines who were tragically killed in a military aircraft crash in California on Wednesday have been identified.

The servicemen were aboard an MV-22B Osprey that went down during a training mission in the Southern California desert in Glamis — roughly 150 miles west of San Diego.

On Friday, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing identified the dead Marines as Corporal Nathan Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois; Captain Nicholas Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire; Cpl. Seth Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming; Capt. John Sax, of Placer, California; and Lance Cpl. Evan Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.

All five men were assigned to the Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 364 and based out of Camp Pendleton, in San Diego.

“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of five Marines from the Purple Fox family,” Lt. Col. John Miller, commanding officer of the squadron, said in a statement.

“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,” said Miller.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the aircraft to go down, officials said.

“The deceased will be reunited with their families through dignified transfer in the coming days,” the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement.

The fatal military aircraft crash was the second to occur in California in the last week after Navy pilot Lt. Richard Bullock died during a training mission in Trona, California on Friday.