Navy Identifies SEAL Lost at Sea During Training

Navy Identifies SEAL Lost at Sea During Training
Feb 27, 2013
Honolulu Advertiser
by William Cole

The Navy identified the SEAL commando who was lost at sea last week during training off Kaena Point as Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Matthew John Leathers of Woodland, Calif.

The Coast Guard said it suspended its search for Leathers Sunday after "exhaustive efforts" to locate the 33-year-old, who went missing during an open-ocean training exercise last Tuesday.

Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps crews worked with Honolulu Fire Department and Ocean Safety to search an area covering more than 24,000 square miles using aircraft, cutters, small boats and shore personnel.

"In this case, I have the heartbreak of informing not only the family, but a close-knit military community, that a loved one could not be found," Capt. Joanna Nunan, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu, said Sunday in a news release.
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