A Marine from Yucca Valley is in Nepal helping with the humanitarian aid following two major earthquakes there in the last two weeks. Sergeant Juan Alcaraz is a crew chief assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, which is based at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside. The squadron is part of the Joint Task Force 505, and is delivering aid to survivors in and evacuating casualties from remote areas of Nepal following the 7.8 and 7.3 earthquakes April 25 and May 12. A Venom helicopter from HMLA-469 with six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers on board vanished Tuesday evening, but Alcaraz’s family members say he was not on that helicopter and is safe. Meanwhile, the search for missing helicopter continues.
