Marine from Rockford area dies in Osprey crash that also killed ballplayer’s son
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — A Marine from the Rockford, Illinois, area and the son of former Los Angeles Dodgers and White Sox star Steve Sax were two of the five Marines who died when their Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed during training in the California desert, the U.S. Marine Corps said.
Killed were two pilots: Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, and Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California, the son of the baseball star.
Also killed were three tiltrotor crew chiefs: Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois, near Rockford; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming, and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.
Carlson’s uncle, Winnebago County Board Member Keith McDonald, told the Rockford Register Star that Carlson was the crew chief. McDonald said Carlson wanted to be a Marine as early as age 8.
McDonald told the paper that Carlson came from a family of veterans.
“I’m a [Air Force] veteran. His dad’s a veteran. Both of his grandparents are veterans,” he said. “We’re a military family.”
“We lost a tried and true local hero,” he said. The Osprey went down Wednesday during training in a remote area in Imperial County, about 115 miles east of San Diego and about 50 miles from Yuma, Arizona.
Steve Sax issued a statement saying that Capt. John J. Sax had always dreamed of being a pilot.
“It is with complete devastation that I announce that my precious son, Johnny was one of the five US Marines that perished on Wednesday, June 8, in the Osprey Military crash near San Diego,” Steve Sax said in a statement published Saturday by CBSLA-TV.
“For those of you that knew Johnny, you saw his huge smile, bright light, his love for his family, the Marines, the joy of flying airplanes 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.
“This loss will change my life forever and is a loss to not only the Marines but this world!”
John J. Sax is survived by his wife, Amber, who is pregnant with their second child, and their 20-month-old daughter, said Dodgers spokesperson Steve Brener.
The Osprey, a hybrid airplane and helicopter, flew in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but has been criticized by some as unsafe. It is designed to take off like a helicopter, rotate its propellers to a horizontal position and cruise like an airplane. The cause of the crash was under investigation.