Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: 49ers WR Demarcus Robinson 🏆
Two fathers and the uncle of three of five Marines killed in a helicopter crash during a storm in Southern California this week are lamenting their deaths as avoidable.
“Maybe this is the one instance to where they wake the f— up and they say, ‘What are we doing to our service members? We’ve got to stop this,’” Steven Langen, father of Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, told the New York Post on Saturday.
Sgt. Alec Langen was serving as crew chief on the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter when it crashed in the mountains near San Diego on Tuesday night.
Steven Langen called their deaths, “an all too familiar story in the military community.”
5 US MARINES CONFIRMED DEAD AFTER HELICOPTER WENT MISSING IN CALIFORNIA
The five Marines who were killed in a CH-53E helicopter crash in Pine Valley, Calif., on Feb. 6, have been identified. From left to right, Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kan., Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Ariz., Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, N.H., and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Mich. (U.S. Marine Corps | CalFIRE)
Bradford Moulton, whose nephew was Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, said he wished the men would have been kept “on the ground” during the “thousand-year storm” when they were flying from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego on a routine training exercise.
“They’re Marines, they fly in nasty weather, they do what they’re supposed to do,” he told the Post, “but I sure wish the operations officer would have kept them on the ground.” Moulton was one of two pilots on the helicopter.
Gregory Davis, a retired naval aviation officer and Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis’ father stated, “Not only did it not have to happen, it should not have happened.”
MARINE KILLED IN CAMP PENDLETON TRAINING EXERCISE IDENTIFIED
Davis, 21, also served as a crew chief on the helicopter.
He added of his son, “He was so proud to be a Marine, he loved his job, he loved what he did. “We’re proud of Donovan and everything he was able to accomplish in his short 21 years.”
Langen said the only thing his son asked for on his 17th birthday was to enlist in the Marines. “The next thing you know, (there’s) a knock at the door. And there’s the Marine recruiter that is standing there,” he remembered.
Moulton shared that Benjamin was determined on his career goals. “He was going to be a Marine pilot no matter what,” he said. The 27-year-old was a pilot on the helicopter along with Capt. Jack Casey, 26, who was also killed in the crash.
Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, was the fifth victim in the crash.
“Miguel was the kindest soul you’d ever meet,” a fundraising page for his family said of him. “His warmth, positive energy, and compassion will be missed by all who were grateful to know him.”
US MILITARY AIRCRAFT CRASHES IN MEDITERRANEAN SEA AFTER TRAINING MISHAP, ‘NO INDICATION’ OF HOSTILE ACTIVITY
Lt. Col. Nicholas J. Harvey, commanding officer of the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 (HMH-361), said of the five Marines after the crash: “We have been confronted with a tragedy that is every service family’s worst fear. Our top priority now is supporting the families of our fallen heroes, and we ask for your respect and understanding as they grieve. The Flying Tigers family stands strong and includes the friends and community who have supported our squadron during this challenging time. We will get through this together.”
The last known contact with the Super Stallion was at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, when waves of downpours and snow were hitting the region during an “atmospheric river.”
The CH-53E Super Stallion is the largest helicopter in the military and is designed to fly through bad weather, even at night.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
A U.S. military CV-22 Osprey takes off from Iwakuni base, Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan. The Osprey fleet was grounded in December after eight Air Force service members were killed in a crash off Japan. (Kyodo News via AP / File)
Davis enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 3, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on Jan. 1 of this year. His decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Langen enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 14, 2017, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on Oct. 1, 2022. His decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Moulton was commissioned into the Marine Corps on March 29, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on Aug. 1, 2023. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal.
Meanwhile, Casey was commissioned in the Marine Corps on May 16, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on Sept. 1, 2023. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal.
Nava was commissioned into the Marine Corps on May 26, 2017, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on Nov. 1, 2021. His decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The entrance to Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif. (AP Photo / Gregory Bull / File)
In December, a Marine was killed and 14 others injured in a training crash at Camp Pendleton in Southern California when a tactical vehicle rolled over.
Last November, five Army special operations soldiers were killed in a training “mishap” when their helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean and eight Air Force service members died in an Osprey crash off the coast of Japan when the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure.
The Osprey fleet has been grounded since the crash as the Air Force weighs when it’s safe to return to service.
The Marines didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s Saturday evening request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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The San Francisco 49ers suffered another devastating injury on Sunday. But, thanks to a strong supporting cast, they found a way to prevail once again.
San Francisco pulled off the biggest playoff upset so far in what’s been a wild wild-card round, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-19, on the road. Unheralded wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was a major reason behind Sunday’s upset as he hauled in six receptions for a game-high 111 yards and a touchdown en route to winning Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game.
When Robinson spoke with Brady after the game, it didn’t take long for him to find the one word to describe the 49ers.
“If it was one word, I’d say resiliency. Resilient,” Robinson said of his team. “These guys play with resiliency. We’ve got a lot of injuries throughout the year. Even tonight, like you said, losing Kittle, guys stepped up and knew they had to make plays. That’s what we were able to do today, go out and make plays.”
Sunday’s victory also came in comeback fashion for the Niners, who rallied from a 16-10 fourth-quarter deficit despite losing tight end George Kittle in the first half to a torn Achilles.
Robinson’s resiliency was on full display on the 49ers’ opening possession. He turned an intermediate pass from Brock Purdy over the middle into a 61-yard gain, zigzagging through the Eagles’ secondary on his way to Philly’s 16-yard line. He then caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to end the drive.
There was possibly no greater sign of the team’s resiliency, however, than the play that gave them a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. After their offense seemed stuck in the mud for most of the game, the 49ers found the end zone when wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey on a trick play.
Robinson was just one of a few supporting characters who contributed to the 49ers’ win. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk had a season-high four receptions for 49 yards, making a pair of big grabs that helped set up touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Defensively, linebacker Garret Wallow had a game-high 11 total tackles after recording just nine total tackles in the regular season.
The 49ers’ top player in McCaffrey also showed his resilience in the win. McCaffrey turned 21 touches into 114 yards and two touchdowns, with the second TD coming via a 4-yard grab with 2:54 remaining to give the 49ers a decisive 23-19 lead.
“I think the guys are just playing with resiliency, man,” Robinson said of his team. “Everybody knew what we had at stake. Everybody came out there and did their part. So, that helped us get the dub.”
The injury to Kittle was his second serious injury of the season after he missed time earlier in the year due to a hamstring tear. San Francisco has also seen some of its other stars get sidelined for the majority of the year, such as edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner.
Warner could potentially return later in the postseason, but another key piece in wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who missed Sunday’s game, remains in limbo as he battles a knee injury. Of course, Purdy missed time this year due to shoulder and toe injuries that cost him eight games.
Despite all of that, the 49ers will now move on to play for a spot in the NFC Championship Game when they take on the Seahawks in Seattle next weekend. They nearly hosted the divisional round game, but lost to the Seahawks at home, 13-3, in the regular-season finale to give Seattle the NFC West and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Robinson is optimistic, however, that there will be a different result this time around.
“Hopefully, we get the dub, obviously,” Robinson said. “We’ve just got to lock in, man. We’ve got to lock in and put more points on the board than we did last week at home. Just put more points on the board. The defense played lights out tonight. Hopefully, we keep playing that same way, man, and it leads to more dubs.”
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The Denver Broncos are just hours away from learning their opponent for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
As the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, the Broncos have a bye for the wild-card round this weekend. They will play the lowest advancing seed from the conference, and there are now two candidates.
The Buffalo Bills (the No. 6) seed defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The only lower seed in the AFC are the Los Angeles Chargers (No. 7), who will face the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football this evening. So if L.A. wins, they will face Denver next weekend. If the Chargers lose, the Broncos will host the Bills next weekend.
The NFL will likely announce the date, time and television channel for the Broncos’ playoff game during or just after SNF. Denver is coming off a bye and there’s another AFC wild-card game scheduled for Monday, so the Broncos will likely be scheduled to play on Saturday, Jan. 17 (but that hasn’t been confirmed yet).
Stay tuned. We will know Denver’s opponent later today, and the game date should also arrive soon.
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The San Francisco 49ers will continue their postseason run, next up against the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field for the NFC Divisional Round.
The 49ers defeated the No. 3 seed Philadelphia Eagles on the road during Wild Card Weekend. With the win, San Francisco advances to the NFC Divisional Round. As the lowest seed in the conference, the 49ers will face the top seed team, the Seahawks. San Francisco and Seattle will meet for the third time this season, the 49ers taking the first matchup and the Seahawks taking the second. Winner of the Divisional Round will advance to the NFC Championship, the final round ahead of Super Bowl LX at Levi’s® Stadium.
Time, date, and broadcast information for the 49ers vs. Seahawks Divisional Round contest will be announced following the conclusion of the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend.
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