Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, was killed in a helicopter crash during a flight training on Feb. 6, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo provided to MLive by U.S.)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI (Tribune News Service) — A renaming ceremony for the Comstock Park Post Office is scheduled next week in honor of a U.S. Marine killed in a 2024 helicopter crash that killed four other Marines.
The ceremony honoring Capt. Miguel Nava will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 25, at the gazebo in Dwight Lydell Park at 4040 Leland Ave. NE, Comstock Park, Michigan, according to an advisory from the post office.
A bill designating the Comstock Park Post Office as the “Captain Miguel Justin Nava Post Office” was signed into law by then-President Joe Biden in January. U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten introduced the bill last summer to honor Nava, a Comstock Park native, who died during a routine training flight in San Diego, California on Feb. 6, 2024.
“I am honored to join the family of Capt. Miguel Justin Nava – along with so many of his friends and community leaders – to commemorate the beloved student, accomplished athlete and military hero raised in Comstock Park,” Donald Dombrow, Jr., USPS district manager, Michigan Two, said in a statement. “Dedicating the plaque which will be placed in the post office lobby, we have an obligation in the Postal Service to preserve his memory for the community, his family and those that were personally touched by Capt. Nava’s sacrifice.”
Nava, 28, was one of five Marines killed in February 2024 when their CH-53E helicopter went down while returning to their base. A historic storm in the area was a contributing factor in the crash.
The four other deceased Marines were identified as:
LCpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas
Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona
Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire
Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho
Nava lived in Traverse City but grew up in Comstock Park. He graduated in 2013 from Comstock Park High School, where school leaders remembered him as a “beloved student, leader and member of student council.”
He was an accomplished student athlete on the football and soccer teams, playing in multiple district and regional championships.
Nava was nominated by former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash for the U.S. Naval Academy in 2013. He graduated from the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps Officer School in 2017 and commissioned in the Marine Corps. He achieved rank of captain in 2021.
His decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Nava is survived by his parents, Lisa and Javier Nava, his brother Nikolas Nava, and his wife Ryann Nava and son Luca Nava.
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