Navy SEAL graduated Mass. high school
Officials mourn ex-top swimmer for Westfield
Governor Maura Healey and state Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago on Tuesday mourned the death of a US Navy SEAL who was lost at sea on Jan. 11 while trying to rescue a fellow SEAL during a mission off the coast of Somalia.
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers, 37, a graduate of Westfield High School and former standout swimmer, “lost his life while selflessly trying to save his teammate off the coast of East Africa,” Healey said in a statement.
The SEAL he was trying to save, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram, 27, also died, military officials said.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the family, friends and shipmates of Special Operator Chris Chambers,” Healey said. “In his heroic life and tragic passing, we recognize the ultimate example of the sacrifice that every servicemember and veteran has offered on behalf of our country. We are more determined than ever to honor that sacrifice in our actions as well as our words. I’m keeping the Westfield community and all who knew Chris in my thoughts as Massachusetts mourns another tragic loss, and my heart goes out to all of our heroes who serve and our military families.”
The Navy said Monday that Chambers and Ingram were reported missing at sea while conducting a nighttime seizure of a vessel that had been illegally transporting “advanced lethal aid” from Iran to resupply Houthi forces in Yemen.
The Houthis have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and Navy ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
As Ingram began climbing the ladder onto the boat, he slipped and fell into a gap the waves had created between the vessel and the SEALs’ combatant craft. Chambers jumped into the divide to try to save him, according to US officials familiar with the incident. Both men were lost at sea.
“In the face of an unthinkable tragedy, our Massachusetts veteran community comes together to mourn the passing of Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers,” Santiago said in a statement. “My heartfelt sympathies go out to his family, friends, and fellow sailors who are grappling with this tragic loss. To all who knew Chris, we can’t begin to understand the unimaginable pain you are facing, but we’re committed to honoring his legacy.”
The 11-day search and rescue mission to locate the SEALs was called off on Sunday. The Navy released their names on Monday after their families were notified.
“We extend our condolences to Chris and Gage’s families, friends, and teammates during this incredibly challenging time,” Captain Blake L. Chaney, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, said in a statement. “They were exceptional warriors, cherished teammates, and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community.”
Chambers enlisted in the Navy in May 2012 and had served with West Coast-based SEAL units since 2014, when he completed SEAL qualification training, the military said. His awards and decorations included multiple Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon, according to the Navy.
He was born in Bethesda, Md., and his family moved to Massachusetts before his junior year of high school. At Westfield High School, he was the 50-yard freestyle state champion as a senior and excelled in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society.
“Westfield High School was very saddened to hear the tragic news about the loss of Chris Chambers,” Greg Vouros, supervisor of athletics at Westfield High and Westfield Technical Academy, said in a statement. “Chris was a standout member of our school and swim & dive program at WHS and our athletics community. Our deepest sympathies go out to Chris’s family.”
The head coach of the school’s swimming and diving team, Tom Lewis said he was “beyond sad” to learn of Chambers’s death.
Chambers “was a student, swimmer, Western Mass Champion, State Champion, School Record Holder, Team Captain, and a close friend and mentor to many,” he said.
After graduating high school in 2005, Chambers went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he competed on the swimming and diving team.
After his sophomore year, Chambers transferred to the University of Maryland, where he swam and studied business, with a minor in sports commerce and culture.
“Jill and I are mourning the tragic deaths of two of America’s finest — Navy SEALs who were lost at sea while executing a mission off the coast of East Africa last week,” President Biden said in a statement Monday.