Placer County Marine killed in helicopter training crash

United States Marine Corps Capt. John Sax was one of five Marines killed in an Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crash during training June 8 near Glamis in Imperial County, California. Sax graduated from Granite Bay High School in 2007. "It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of five Marines from the Purple Fox family" wrote Lt. Col. John C. Miller, Commanding Officer of VMM-364 on the United States Marine Corps' Facebook page on June 10. "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. Our primary mission now is taking care of the family members of our fallen Marines and we respectfully request privacy for their families as they navigate this difficult time." The other four Marines killed in the crash are Cpl. Nathan Carlson, 21 of Winnebago, Illinois; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming; Lance Cpl. Evan Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico and Capt. Nicholas Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire. According to United States Marine Corps officials, the crash is under investigation. Sax, 33, served the Marine Corps for five years and eight months and was awarded with the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Letter of Appreciation during his years of service. Sax is the son of former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Sax. Steve Sax released the following statement to the media on June 10: "It is with complete devastation that I announce that my precious son, Johnny, was one of the five U.S. Marines that perished on Wednesday, June 8 in the Osprey Military crash near San Diego. 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." Sacramento sports talk show host TC Martin had Steve Sax on his show the day he found out his son had been killed. "It is still shocking thinking about Steve Sax losing his son who was killed in a Marine training flight on Wednesday," Martin wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. "He (Steve Sax) got word about this just after being on my show that day. When talking about his son, John, you could always hear the joy in Steve's voice and how proud he was of him." John Sax is survived by his father Steve; mother, Debbie; his sister, his wife, Amber; who is pregnant with their second child, and their 20-month-old daughter. At this time, the Sax family has not confirmed a date for a memorial service to honor John Sax.