SEAL of Honor
Page 24
Single and fluent in French, Erik had been selected by the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation as an Olmsted Scholar to attend graduate school at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, France, and was scheduled to begin his schooling there in 2006.
Military Awards and Decorations
• Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 stars)
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (1 star)
• National Defense Service Medal (1gold star)
• Global War on Terror Service Expeditionary Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (1 star)
• Expert Rifle
• Expert Pistol
Burial and Memorials
With full military honors, the funeral of thirty-three-year-old Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen was conducted at 10:00 AM on July 19, 2005, in the chapel at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He was buried in the Academy’s cemetery, located on the peninsula overlooking the Severn River and College Creek. There, he remains on permanent station in Section 01-008.
Michael M. McGreevy Jr., Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
The Honor Man of BUD/S Class 230, Lieutenant Michael M. McGreevy Jr. was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 24, 1975. His family moved to Portville, New York, a small town just north of the Pennsylvania border, soon after he was born. While attending Portville High School, he was involved in everything, including the student council, the National Honor Society, wrestling, soccer, ice hockey, and track, setting a school record for the eight-hundred-meter run. While in high school he wanted to take the state Regents exam in German, but his school did not offer that language. Undaunted, he bought German-language books and taught himself so well that he passed the exam. Tall and very thin, he ran more than three miles to school each morning to be there by 6:00 AM so that he could get in a session of strength building before classes started. Accepted for early admission to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, he declined, seeking instead a spot at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, which he received. He served as secretary of his class, graduating in 1997 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.
Upon receiving his commission, he served aboard USS Oak Hill (LSD-51), a Harper’s Ferry-class landing ship, as the surface warfare officer. His passion was to become a SEAL, however, and so he entered BUD/S training in late 1999, graduating with Class 230 in August 2000 after his second attempt. Known as “Groove” by his friends, he served with SEAL Team Four, volunteered to attend the Army Ranger School, and graduated as Top Ranger, the Rangers’ equivalent of Honor Man.7
He then deployed to Southern Command and conducted foreign internal defense missions and multiple joint-combined exercises with several foreign special operations forces. Upon returning from this deployment, he volunteered for an emergent deployment with SEAL Team Eight to the Crisis Response Element, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Horn of Africa as the assistant officer in charge. Following that tour he transferred to SEAL Team Ten as officer in charge (OIC) of Echo Platoon. As OIC, he deployed in April 2005 to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Military Awards and Decorations
• Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2 stars)
• Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal
• National Defense Service Medal (1 star)
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (1 star)
• Navy Expert Rifle
• Navy Expert Pistol
Burial and Memorials
Lieutenant McGreevy is survived by his wife, Laura, and his daughter, Molly. A private funeral service was conducted at the St. John the Apostle Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lieutenant Michael McGreevy Jr. was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, “Where Valor Proudly Sleeps,” on October 20, 2005, in Section 60, along with several other of his comrades who perished on June 28, 2005.
Daniel R. Healy, Senior Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy
Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy was born on January 17, 1968, in Exeter, New Hampshire. He was the first of five children of his parents, Henry and Natalie Healy. He graduated from Exeter High School in June 1986. After exploring his entrepreneurial spirit by owning his own landscaping business and working as a journeyman electrician for four years, he enlisted in the Navy in 1990, graduating from BUD/S in 1992 with Class 196.
He was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDVT-1) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, from 1992 to 1996. A year of intensive language training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, followed. He then served at SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two at Little Creek, Virginia, before returning to SDVT-1 at Pearl, where he led a training platoon.
Military Awards and Decorations
• Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart (1 star)
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Achievement Medal
• Joint Meritorious Unit Award
• Meritorious Unit Commendation
• Good Conduct Medal (3 stars)
• National Defense Service Medal
Burial and Memorials
On July 9, 2005, Senior Chief Daniel R. Healy was buried with full military honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, California. His funeral was attended by Admiral Joseph Maguire, along with many of his SEAL brothers stationed at Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado and his teammates from SDVT-1 in Pearl Harbor.
Dan’s family organized an East Coast memorial service at Rye Harbor State Park, five miles from Exeter, overlooking the turquoise blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. More than a thousand people, including Judd Gregg, U.S. senator from New Hampshire, and his wife, Kathy, attended the event, which was held on Sunday, July 17, 2005, beneath a beautiful cloudless sky.
In his memory, Dan’s mother established the Daniel R. Healy Memorial Foundation to assist a graduate from Exeter High School who was entering the military or the building trades.
In 2008 the bridge on New Hampshire Route 101 between Manchester and Hampton Beach was renamed the Senior Chief Daniel R. Healy, U.S. Navy SEAL Bridge. That same year the pool in the local park in Exeter was renamed the Senior Chief Daniel R. Healy Memorial Pool.
Eric Shane Patton, Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy
Eric Shane Patton, born on November 15, 1982, at the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, was the second of six children of Valerie and “JJ” Patton. When his parents divorced in 1994, Shane and his brothers moved to Boulder City, Nevada, with their father, a Las Vegas Municipal Court marshal and a former Navy SEAL. At Boulder City High School, he was a member of the baseball team and played guitar in a band called True Story. He also enjoyed skateboarding and surfing. Immediately upon graduation, he enlisted in the Navy with the goal of becoming a SEAL like his father. He graduated with BUD/S Class 239.
He was assigned to SEAL Team One in Pearl City, Hawaii, before his deployment to Afghanistan in April 2005. Originally scheduled to be part of Lieutenant Murphy’s four man reconnaissance unit, he was on the rescue helicopter struck by the RPG in the Korangal Valley on June 28, 2005. His remains arrived under military escort at McCarran International Airport on Thursday, July 6, 2005. Visitation was held on Friday, July 7, 2005, at the Palm Mortuary in Boulder City.
Military Awards and Decorations
•
Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3 stars)
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Rifle Expert
• Expert Pistol
• National Defense Service Medal
• Armed Forces Service Medal
Burial and Memorials
With full military honors, Shane Patton was buried at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada, on Saturday, July 9, 2005.
Jeffrey Allen Lucas, Petty Officer First Class, U.S. Navy
Electronics Technician First Class Lucas was born on September 17, 1971. While growing up in Corbett, Oregon, he chose his career path early—in the fourth grade, when he wrote a paper about the Special Forces (Green Berets), the Rangers, the Marine Corps’ Force Recon, and the SEALs. He had his eyes set on the SEALs because “they were the best.” After graduating from high school in 1989, he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon completing recruit training and Electronics Technician school, he transferred to Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. From there he transferred to the Branch Medical Clinic, San Diego, California, from May 1991 to June 1993.
He entered BUD/S in June 1993 and graduated with Class 191 in January 1994. Upon completing his SEAL training, he reported to SEAL Team One in Coronado, California, where he was stationed from 1994 to 1999, before transferring to the East Coast in 1999 to Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) in Dam Neck, Virginia. He then transferred to SEAL Team Eight for a year before again transferring to SEAL Team Ten in March 2002. A leading petty officer (LPO), he had ten years of experience as a SEAL, allowing him to create an extensive list of qualifications, including sniper, sniper instructor, and military free-fall parachutist.
He was married to his wife, Rhonda, for twelve years. They had one son, Seth, who was four years old when his father was killed in action.
Military Awards and Decorations
• Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3 stars)
• Combat Action Ribbon
• National Defense Service Medal (1 star)
• Armed Forces Service Medal
• Kosovo Campaign Medal
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Humanitarian Service Medal
• Sea Service Deployment Medal (3 stars)
• NATO Medal
• Rifle Expert
• Expert Pistol
Burial and Memorials
With full military honors, Petty Officer Jeffrey Allen Lucas was laid to rest in Section 60, site 8229, in Arlington National Cemetery, “Where Valor Proudly Sleeps.”
The Jeff Lucas Memorial Fund was established by his family as a 501 (c) (3) corporation to construct a lasting memorial to Jeff. A stadium grandstand and football sports complex will be built at Corbett High School. It will be dedicated as the Jeff Lucas Memorial Veterans Stadium. In addition, family and friends have established the Seth A. Lucas Fund.
Jacques Jules Fontan, Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy
Chief Fontan was born on November 11, 1968, in New Orleans, to Earl and Hazel Fontan. After graduating from Brother Martin High School in 1986, he attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette prior to enlisting in the U.S. Navy on March 7, 1989. Following graduation from the Recruit Training Command at Naval Station Great Lakes, he completed Fire Controlman “A” school at Fleet Combat Training Center, Dam Neck, Virginia. He then transferred to the USS Nicholas (FFG-47), Charleston, South Carolina, and then to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron One in Jacksonville, Florida. After graduating from BUD/S on October 23, 1998, he was assigned to SEAL Team Eight, Little Creek, Virginia, then to Naval Special Warfare Group Two, and subsequently to SEAL Team Ten, Little Creek, Virginia.
Military Awards and Decorations
• Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart
• Joint Service Commendation Medal
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” device
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Joint Meritorious Unit Award
• Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon
• Navy “E” Ribbon
• Good Conduct Medal (4 stars)
• National Defense Service Medal (1 star)
• Southwest Asia Service Medal (2 stars)
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (2 stars)
• Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (2 stars)
• NATO Medal
• Kuwait Liberation Medal
• Expert Pistol
• Sharpshooter M4 Rifle
Burial and Memorials
Chief Fontan was buried with full military honors. He is survived by his parents, his wife, Charissa, and his daughter, Jourdan.
Jeffrey Scott Taylor, Petty Officer First Class, U.S. Navy
Jeffrey S. Taylor was born on May 18, 1975, in Beckley, West Virginia. He attended Independence High School in Coal City, West Virginia, before enlisting in the Navy on June 20, 1994. His duty assignments included the Recruit Training Command, Naval Station Great Lakes, in Illinois; Naval School of Health Sciences, San Diego, California; Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia; Field Medical Service School, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; SEAL Team Eight, Little Creek, Virginia; USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), Norfolk, Virginia; John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and SEAL Team Ten, Little Creek, Virginia.
Military Awards and Decorations
• Bronze Star Medal with “V” device
• Purple Heart Medal
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V” (1 star)
• Citation
• Navy Unit Commendation (1 star)
• Meritorious Unit Commendation
• Navy Battle “E” Ribbon
• Good Conduct Medal (3 stars)
• Navy Fleet Marine Force Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• National Defense Service Medal (1 star)
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Presidential Unit
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (2 stars)
• Expert Rifle
• Expert Pistol
Burial and Memorials
Jeffrey Taylor’s wife Erin scattered his ashes over Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery.
James E. Suh, Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy
James Erik Suh was born in Coronado, California, but later moved with his family to Deerfield Beach, Florida. James and his sister Claudia were raised by their singleparent father, Solomon Suh, a Korean immigrant. James excelled in all of his academic subjects in school and was placed in a program for gifted students. He was especially strong in math, but also proved to be a talented artist and athlete. James graduated from high school in June 1995, but as he prepared to enter the University of Florida, he also began thinking seriously about joining the Navy SEALs.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in statistics in 1999, James enlisted in the Navy in January 2001. He began his BUD/S training with Class 237 in July and received his SEAL Trident in February 2001. Following successful completion of SEAL Delivery Vehicle training, he was assigned to SDVT-1 in Hawaii in December 2003. In April 2005 he and his teammates of Alfa Platoon went to Afghanistan on what was his first deployment. Petty Officer Second Class James E. Suh was killed while serving
as a member of the QRF in Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005.