Navy
Naval Special Warfare Group 1 pays tribute to fallen sailors
Stars and Stripes
April 21, 2024
A Naval Special Warfare Operator stamps a trident onto a wooden plaque during a memorial service for Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher Chambers and Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram at Silver Strand Training Complex in Coronado, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Chelsea D. Meiller/U.S. Navy)
Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram were remembered last week as courageous and selfless.
The sailors, who were lost at sea in January, were honored Thursday during a memorial service at the Silver Strand Training Complex in Coronado, Calif.
“Chris and Gage epitomize Naval Special Warfare’s core values: integrity, courage and selflessness,” said Capt. Blake L. Chaney, commander, Naval Special Warfare Group 1. “Our solemn duty is to pay tribute to their unwavering sacrifice, service and dedication to duty.”
Chambers and Gate went overboard during a Jan. 11 mission off the coast of Somalia that resulted in the seizure of Iranian-made missile parts bound for militants in Yemen.
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers, left, and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram. (U.S. Navy)
About Chambers, one speaker said: “Chris will always be remembered as a true hero, not for his actions, but for the way he embraced life.”
About Gage, a speaker said: “Gage was someone — if you met him, you would never forget him. He had a way of making everyone he interacted with feel special.”
Following remarks, teammates of Chambers and Ingram stood in formation and, one by one, carried on a long-held tradition by pressing their tridents into a wooden plaque emblazoned with the fallen operators’ names.
For the mission, commandos launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile sea base, backed up by drones and helicopters. They loaded onto small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat.
Rescue crews searched for 10 days before U.S. Central Command announced that the sailors had been declared dead.
“Chris and Gage selflessly served their country with unwavering professionalism and exceptional capabilities,” Capt. Blake L. Chaney, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Group 1, said in a statement when the deaths were announced. “This loss is devastating for NSW, our families, the special operations community and across the nation.”
The Navy’s 5th Fleet is investigating the incident. That probe is expected to examine whether the SEALs were properly equipped and trained for the mission, whether procedures were followed, and any decisions regarding the timing and approval of the raid, including the weather and the state of the seas.
Chambers, 37, was a Navy special warfare operator first class from Maryland who enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and graduated from SEAL training in 2014. His awards include the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “C” and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Ingram, 27, was a Navy special warfare operator second class from Texas who enlisted in 2019 and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.
“Their presence enriched our lives in countless ways, continuing to serve as a source of inspiration, motivation and growth within our community,” one of the speakers said. “Their legacy lives on in our hearts and minds, a timeless reminder of their forever legacy.”