Donald Trump started off his morning sending “his” Marines thoughts and prayers. He should have sent them a serious in-depth investigation into why so many members of the military die in helicopter crashes. The numbers are staggering.
The president tweeted, “We pray for their families:”
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the four U.S. Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing who lost their lives in yesterday’s Southern California helicopter crash. We pray for their families, and our great
@USMC.’
All four crew members on a routine Marine training mission died when their helicopter crashed. The CH-53E Super Stallion crashed mere miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Military.com. There was no word yet on what caused the chopper to go down, but a standard investigation has begun.
On the same day as the helicopter crash, a Marine Harrier jet went down during takeoff. The airport was in Djibouti, which is located in East Africa. Fortunately, that pilot ejected, and he was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation.
All 15 Marines and one sailor died when a KC130T transport plane crashed in Mississippi less than a year ago. Then, there were the 12 Marines who died when two helicopter collided near Oahu, Hawaii two years ago.
A CH-53E helicopter crashed and burned in Okinawa last fall. Luckily, no one was hurt. A total of 31 people died in 2005 when a CH-53E chopper crashed during an Iraqi sandstorm.
The latest helicopter crash in California was part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing from the Miramar air station located in San Diego. The CH-53E Super Stallion has been the largest U.S. military helicopter. It was designed to sweep for mines and for transporting “dozens of troops and tons of cargo,” according to Military.com.
None of the names of those killed were released for 24 hours in order to notify their next of kin.
Americans were horrified by the increasing numbers. Check out some of our favorite tweets below:
Featured Image via Getty Images.
