Parents blame Marine Corps for son's helo crash death

HONOLULU — The parents of one of 12 Marines killed after two helicopters crashed during training exercises in Hawaii are blaming the Marine Corps for their son's death.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that Mike and Lisa De La Cruz are the parents of 24-year-old Sgt. Dillon Semolina, who was the helicopter crew chief. His remains have not yet been found following the Jan. 14 crash off Oahu's north shore.

The De La Cruzes say the CH-53E Super Stallions shouldn't have been flying because of safety concerns over ongoing maintenance problems. They also say the Marine Corps' search efforts for the 12 Marines who had been aboard the helicopters were "an embarrassment."

Capt. Cassandra Gesecki, III Marine Expeditionary Force's spokeswoman, said "no time was wasted" during the search.

In Other News

FY25 defense budget work to ramp up after security supplemental finish

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of April 30, 2024.

Corps IDs Marine who died in California ‘aviation ground mishap’

Cpl. Miguel Maya, a U/AH-1 aircraft avionics technician, died “as a result of an aviation ground mishap,” the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said.

Advocates urge Austin to act on active duty obesity ‘epidemic’

A new letter urges defense leaders to do more to prevent, identify and treat obesity in the ranks.

The Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient died rescuing Marines

When asked if he could go back and extract the overwhelmed Marines from Guadalcanal, the 22-year-old Munro reportedly gave a confident, “Hell, yeah!”

VA expands benefits options for vets with other-than-honorable status

Veterans Affairs officials are updating rules regarding benefits eligibility to include more individuals with other-than-honorable discharges.

Load More