Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsal and Chief Petty Officer Robert James Reeves (Family photos/Facebook) |
LAKEWOOD, Calif. (KTLA) -- A Southern California father is remembering his son, who was among the 22 U.S. Navy SEALs killed when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.
Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall, 33, trained in San Diego and was one of the first members of SEAL Team 7, his father told the Shreveport Times newspaper.
His father, John Kelsall, is the president and CEO of Lakewood's Chamber of Commerce and, according to friends, was always talking about his son, the Navy SEAL.
Also killed in the crash was Jonas Kelsall's best friend, 32-year-old Chief Petty Officer Robert James Reeves, family members confirmed to the Shreveport Times.
Reeves was a member of SEAL Team 6, the elite unit that carried out the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
The Navy has confirmed that 22 SEALs and eight other U.S. service members died when a CH-47 Chinook crashed in the restive Wardak province early Saturday morning. Military officials believe the helicopter was shot down by insurgents.
NATO says the team was on a mission targeting a Taliban leader.
The incident marked the single largest loss of life for U.S. troops since the Afghan war began in late 2001.
Both Kelsall and Reeves were natives of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall, 33, trained in San Diego and was one of the first members of SEAL Team 7, his father told the Shreveport Times newspaper.
His father, John Kelsall, is the president and CEO of Lakewood's Chamber of Commerce and, according to friends, was always talking about his son, the Navy SEAL.
Also killed in the crash was Jonas Kelsall's best friend, 32-year-old Chief Petty Officer Robert James Reeves, family members confirmed to the Shreveport Times.
Reeves was a member of SEAL Team 6, the elite unit that carried out the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
The Navy has confirmed that 22 SEALs and eight other U.S. service members died when a CH-47 Chinook crashed in the restive Wardak province early Saturday morning. Military officials believe the helicopter was shot down by insurgents.
NATO says the team was on a mission targeting a Taliban leader.
The incident marked the single largest loss of life for U.S. troops since the Afghan war began in late 2001.
Both Kelsall and Reeves were natives of Shreveport, Louisiana.
