Family of Afghanistan plane crash victim left grieving

Cpt. Brad Hasler leaves behind wife, daughter, unborn child

DETROIT – The family of Cpt. Brad Hasler gathered the strength to speak about the man who was among seven killed in a plane crash Monday in Afghanistan.

They talked about the exceptional man they loved. Hasler's life was just beginning. His entire family and friends are trying to somehow process what happened.

The wedding pictures arrived Wednesday. How could Robin Hasler be so blissfully happy two weeks ago and now confront a pain so overwhelming it makes it hard to breathe?

"I call for him and tell him how much I love him and how much the girls love him and how much his family loves him, and I tell him how hard this is," she said.

As the couple always did, Robin spoke with Brad before the 747's takeoff from Bagram Air Base.

"He said he was coming home early and he said, 'I miss my girls,' and he would call me in the morning about 9 o'clock," said Robin.

It's real to no one in the family, especially Brad's older brother Bill. The brothers were competitors in their youth and tight as adults.

"He's told me on multiple occasions the greatest thing that he has experienced in his life was the day that Robin gave him Sloan. His daughter changed his life and it changed everything about him and he admired her more anything on the planet," Bill said. "And I cannot tell you how hard it is for me to know that that little girl is going to grow up and not know who her dad is, and not have him walk her down the aisle or take her to the 1st day of kindergarten, or do any of that."


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