Unaccustomed Spotlight on Virginia Beach Following SEAL Team Deaths

The entire Hampton Roads area is deeply tied to the U.S. military given that Norfolk is the Home of the Atlantic Fleet, Virginia Beach is the home of Oceana Naval Air Station, the Navy’s Little Creek amphibious base, and Fort Story and Camp Pendleton. On the Peninsula we have Langley Air Force base and Ft. Eustis. When the tragedy of military deaths hits, it’s not unusual to either know one of the victims or someone who know one of the victims. The recent SEAL team deaths in Afghanistan are a case in point, with the majority of the dead hailing from Virginia Beach. As the Washington Post notes, typically mourning is low key and dignified. Yet, in a rare display of public mourning, the local surf community had a “paddle out” to honor one of the fallen (the photo is from the Virginian Pilot):

On Tuesday night, a rare public memorial took place when surfers formed a ritual circle in the sea for Kraig Vickers, one of the fallen SEALs who was a Hawaii native and loved to surf. But organizers of the paddle-out off Little Island Fishing Pier in Sandbridge also asked that there be no interviews, the Virginian-Pilot reported. Another public tribute occurred hours after the helicopter crash with a moment of silence during a Norfolk Tides minor league baseball game.

At the Vickerses’ home in a quiet suburban development, the family declined a request for an interview. Neighbors tried to comprehend the loss of a man who left behind his pregnant wife Nani and their three children.

I’m no supporter of the ongoing fool’s errand in Afghanistan. However, my heart does go out to the families of those lost – needlessly lost – because of the stupidity and dishonesty of the military leadership and our spineless commander-in-chief in the White House.