Caryn and Steve Langen are reminded every day of the sacrifice their son gave to his country.
"Hero is the first word that comes to mind. He was larger than life. He was a six-foot-five goofy kid, and he loved life," Steve Langen said.
Their son Alec gave his life in service to the Marine Corps when a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down in February of 2024.
"Steve pinned his wings on him when he finished training, he idolized his father and he knew, he knew he wasn't following in his footsteps but creating his own," Caryn Langen said.
In an interview from 2024, emotions were still raw from their loss.
"He died with people he wanted to be with, doing a job he wanted to do and loved to do," he said.
Since Alec's death, the couple decided to do something to honor his dedication to others.
"He was a kind person, like if you came to him, he'd help you," Caryn Langen said.
Their foundation, Running 4 Alec, started with traditional 5K and 10K fundraisers. The goal is to help military-affiliated families going through the grief process with financial support.
"So, there's last-minute airline tickets, there's funeral costs and expenses, you know, rental cars and things like that. So, all these things, you know, 1000s of dollars that add up, and we also realize, too, that that's a huge burden for some of these families," Langen said.
While their mission remains the same, how they pursue it has shifted.
"Now we're doing hikes. We've done the Cinque Terre hike in Italy. We've been invited to the military tattoo festival in Scotland, which is marching bands," Langen said.
The couple is on a hiking trip in Canada this Memorial Day.
Aside from hiking, they are also turning their volunteer hours into plane tickets through their employer, Southwest Airlines.
"So, for those hours, any nonprofit, Fallen Wings, Wingman, Arizona Riders, any nonprofit like that can receive tickets, which they can either turn into fundraising to make more money, or they can help other people get places," Langen said.
It is a way they say they can pay it forward, honoring the kindness their son Alec showed everyone he ever knew.
"We raised him to, to understand that you put others first, and he did," Langen said.
