Family Mourns Combat Veteran Who Died In Union Co. Plane Crash

A family was mourning the death of a man on Friday after he died in a plane crash.

Lt. Col. Mike Lakin's single-engine Super Decathlon plane crashed Thursday while he was recertifying for low-level aerobatics. Several witnesses and emergency crews tried to save Lakin, but he died after being transported to a hospital, 10TV News reported.

Lakin, 42, who was from Charleston, W. Va., was the son of a World War II veteran and received his pilot's license when he was in high school.

After serving in the Marines and the Navy, Lakin returned to West Virginia, where he joined the West Virginia Air National Guard and spent more than a year on combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, 10TV News reported.

Lakin's associate pastor said Lakin?s life was all about flight, faith and family.

"I think he liked to fly," Associate Pastor Shauna Hyde said. "He offered folks flying trips constantly."

Lakin was also a devoted father to his 8-year-old daughter, Hyde said.

"He wanted her to have the memory that he loved her," Hyde said. "He loved God so much that he made it a priority in his life."

Lakin's plane crashed while performing a low-level snap and roll, just moments after taking off.

Hyde said that his death sends a message about the precious gift of life.

"Even if you've lost someone, there's someone else who loves you and has your love," Hyde said. "That is the great gift."

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for more information.
?

?2011 by 10TV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2011/12/23/marysville-family-mourns-pilot_.html

happy thanksgiving dwts cnn debate kennedy assassination kennedy assassination jfk assassination pie crust recipe