Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick D. Feeks

Navy SEAL from Maryland dies in Afghanistan air crash

The Associated Press

BALTIMORE — A Navy SEAL from Maryland was among those killed last week when a U.S. military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in a remote area of southern Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said.

Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Patrick D. Feeks of Edgewater was among seven Americans and four Afghans killed in the helicopter crash northeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Thursday.

The 28-year-old Feeks was one of two Navy SEALS to die in the crash; the other was Special Warfare Operator Second Class David J. Warsen of Kentwood, Mich. Both were assigned to a Special Warfare unit in Coronado, Calif.

Capt. Collin P. Green, Naval Special Warfare Group One's commander, praised Feeks and Warsen in a statement as "great warriors, teammates and friends to many of us in the Naval Special Warfare community."

Feeks enlisted in the Navy in 2006, and then completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training and advance training. He had served with a West Coast-based SEAL unit since May 2008.

A Navy news release said his awards and decorations include the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He previously served in the Iraqi war.

Surviving are his parents, Thomas and Virginia, and his wife, Emily.




It was always Patrick Feeks' dream to be among the United States Navy's elite and become a SEAL. After he achieved that goal in 2008, he served two tours of duty in Iraq and had been in Afghanistan since December.

He was expected to return home to Edgewater this fall, but instead of planning his homecoming, his family and friends are now trying to determine how to honor their fallen warrior.

Naval Special Warfare Officer First Class Feeks was killed in action last Thursday when the helicopter he was riding in crashed during a firefight with insurgents.

"He felt what he was doing in Afghanistan with his platoon was what he had been trained to do," Tom Feeks, Patrick's father, said. "He was doing good work and he was proud and very, very happy."

Patrick came from a military family; both his wife and his sister both also serve in the Navy. Friends say that he was a selfless and driven person.

"He had a rare zest for life that few people ever find," Michael Diehl, Patrick's friend, said. "Everything in his life he approached with a passion like nothing I've ever seen before."

http://freedomremembered.com/index.php/special-warfare-operator-petty-officer-1st-class-patrick-d-feeks/

Source:
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/08/patrick-feeks-fallen-navy-seal-rememered-by-family-and-friends-79043.html

http://www.militarytimes.com/valor/navy-special-warfare-operator-1st-class-patrick-d-feeks/6568317



Rest In Peace Warrior.

R.I.P.