Modern Day All-American Love Story

(names have been changed to protect the individuals in the story)



Modern Day All American Love Story



It all started on that horrifying day when time seemed to stand still for America. On September eleventh, 2001, two planes, hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Two other planes were also hijacked, one crashing into the Pentagon, while the other crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania. Thanks to the bravery of the heroes on board, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania never made it to its ultimate destination; it never had the chance to kill more Americans.



Theirs was a meeting of chance, brought about by the tragic events of 9/11. Jeff was a military police enlisted in the Navy, stationed at that time in Guam. Kate, also stationed in Guam, was working in satellite communications. The terrorist attacks in the United States caused all military installations, worldwide, to heighten security. Kate was pulled from her duties and worked under Jeff in security.



After getting off duty that night, Kate told herself, “I am so in love with that guy!” A friendship ensued between the two during their time in Guam. Fortunately for them, when their tour of duty was over in Guam, they both were stationed in San Diego, where they soon started dating. Jeff soon expressed to Kate that he was interested in BUD/S training (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training). Kate was very supportive of Jeff’s interest in becoming a Navy SEAL. During our chat she giggled, and said, “I always thought SEAL’s were so hot!”



The next chapter of their budding romance was like a whirlwind. Jeff proposed to Kate in September of 2003. They were married on Saturday, January 4th, 2004, and Jeff started BUD/S training on Monday, January 6th, 2004. The average United States Navy SEAL spends over a year in a series of formal training environments before being awarded the Special Warfare Operator Naval Rating and the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 Combatant Swimmer (SEAL). According to the official website of the United States Navy, SEAL’s training is “widely considered to be the most physically and mentally demanding military training in existence.” Kate practically overflowed with pride during our conversation. She is so proud to have been with Jeff and supported him through his Navy SEAL career from the very beginning.



As with most military careers, deployment is always something that soldiers and their families have to deal with, especially during the tumultuous times since 9/11. Jeff was deployed to Iraq in October of 2006. By this time, Jeff and Kate had been blessed with their beautiful little girl Haley. At the time, Haley was two-and-a-half; in addition to Haley, Kate was pregnant with their second child. During the Thanksgiving holiday Kate and Haley were visiting Jeff’s family in Arkansas. With the technology available today, Jeff and Kate were able to have very regular contact. There was an eighteen hour lapse from the time of day that Jeff usually called Kate. She really didn’t think too much of the lack of phone call, but soon their world would be turned upside down.



The following excerpt is from a Facebook chat with Jeff detailing an attack that left him and a comrade severely injured: “On November 19, 2006 three groups of six SEALs each stepped out of their forward operating base in Ramadi, Iraq. Our mission was to set up snipers over watches to limit the freedom of movement of insurgents, allowing U.S. Marines to safely search a block of houses that were full of insurgent safe houses. We entered the house around one o’clock a.m. and set up sniper lookouts. At about noon an insurgent threw a hand grenade through an opening in our house and injured one of my guys. We fought for a little while; we then called for Bradley fighting vehicles to pick up our wounded. When the Bradleys got there, we fought our way out of the house, and two of us were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated just feet away. We were severely injured in the street, and unable to walk. Two SEALs came out and dragged us back into the house. After applying tourniquets and stopping the bleeding, we were picked up by more Bradley’s and taken to the first medical stop. Within the next few weeks I was transported to multiple hospitals, including Germany and Bethesda, MD, finally ending up at Balboa in San Diego where I was reunited with my family.”



When Jeff was finally able to call Kate to tell her he had been injured, he was very nonchalant about his injuries. He told her that he had been injured, that he was fine, and that he was coming home. Kate’s strength after hearing the news of his injury was phenomenal. “I didn’t want our daughter to feel that anything was wrong. I also needed to be strong for Jeff’s parents,” is what Kate relayed to me when I asked her if she completely broke down. In fact, she didn’t cry until she was on the phone with the ticket agent to change her flight plans to get home sooner.



After his injury in November, Jeff was walking and doing things for himself by April. However, it was one year before he was fully recovered. After his recovery, he took the Navy’s PRT (Physical Readiness Test), and passed with outstanding results. At this point in our conversation, Kayla felt the need to interject something about Navy SEAL’s in general. “That's something else about these guys; they will die trying to be the best of the best. Just like the PRT; Jeff had something to prove to everyone: his teammates, himself, and all the doctors that said he would never be back to full duty and ready to go back to war. So he was really excited about the PRT, because it was his way of saying, ‘I'm back!!’”



During Jeff’s time in the hospital, Kate and Haley were with him during all visiting hours. It was such an exhausting time for them all. The wives of the SEAL’s on Jeff’s team rallied around Kate providing endless support. They even set-up a meal schedule to supply all meals for Jeff’s wife and daughter. The Official Naval Special Warfare website states, “There are about 2,500 active duty Navy SEALs.” With such small numbers, one can understand just how close-knit the SEAL community is. Kate said, “There is a sense of obligation to everyone; these guys will save my husband’s life, and he will save theirs. The wives rally around each other in times of need. It is such a great thing!”



As mentioned above, two SEAL’s were injured during the attack. Elliott was even more severely injured than Jeff. His injuries were severe enough that he lost a leg and also has speech troubles. Jeff suffered quite a bit of grief and anguish over Elliott’s injuries. The bond that they shared as a result went far beyond their military service. In fact, Jeff and Kate named their second child Elliott. There is a beautiful addition to this part of their story. Elliott underwent physical therapy to help him with his injuries. He and his physical therapist fell in love, and later had a baby boy. Of course they named him Jeff!



Currently, Jeff is deployed; he is doing a tour of duty in the Philippines. Kate is pretty excited because they have four months in on this tour, and only two months left. With Jeff at the seventeen year mark of his military career, their family only has three years left. For the remainder of his career he will do shore duty in Alaska as an instructor for one of the BUD/S training phases. It will be a great break for all five of them. Five? Yes five! In addition to Haley and Elliott, Jeff and Kate welcomed Emerson into their perfect family in August of 2010.



With all the hype in the news in recent months about Navy SEAL Team Six, I was very curious if being a member of that team was something Jeff had ever been interested in. The answer was a very emphatic, “No!” Kate said that SEAL Team Six is always on call. “If you are on Team Six, the Navy completely owns you,” she said. Jeff is a family man; the time he spends away from his family already fills them with loneliness. None of them are interested in being separated anymore than they already have been.



The pride that Kate has in Jeff is strong and fierce. She reiterated that communication is key in their relationship, and they have their communication down pat. We ended our conversation with Kate saying, “I ask myself all the time, ‘How did I score this amazing man to be my partner in life?’ He is great at everything he does. He is a great SEAL, husband, dad and friend. How did I get this lucky?”



All members of the United States Armed Forces have always had my utmost respect; they are heroes. They allow me to feel safe and sleep well at night. They offer my children a bright future of safety and independence. The sacrifices they make are amazing. However, after my conversation with Kate, I realized that not only the soldiers deserve our respect. The families that they leave behind on the homefront are just as heroic as they are. The sacrifices that the families also make for their country make them heroes as well.