SoCal Marine killed in plane crash honored with procession in Ventura County
VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) -- Community members turned out to Ventura County to honor one of their own over the weekend - Marine Staff Sgt. Robert H. Cox was killed in a military plane crash in Mississippi two weeks ago.
The remains of the 28-year-old arrived at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday. He received a hero's procession all the way to his hometown of Ventura.
Crowds of people, including local firefighters, saluted the sergeant as the motorcade made its way along the 101 Freeway through Newbury Park.
Cox, who was stationed in North Carolina, was one of 16 U.S. servicemen killed when their plane went down in Leflore County, Mississippi, about 85 miles north of Jackson.
MORE: 3 SoCal Marines killed in Mississippi military plane crash
The transport plane slammed into soybean fields in the Mississippi Delta. A Marine general said the aircraft appeared to have developed problems while high in the air.
The Marine Corps said the cause of the crash was under investigation and offered no information on whether the plane issued a distress call.
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It was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down during a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.
