Memorial

Specialty:

Navy SEAL

BUD/S Class:

191

SEAL Service:

10 years

Rank:

Petty Officer First Class

Age:

33

Home:

Corbett, OR

Assigned:

SEAL Team TEN, Virginia Beach, VA

Died:

June 28, 2005

Operation:

Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)

Details:

Died while conducting combat operations, when the MH-47 helicopter he was aboard on a rescue mission crashed in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

Awards:

Other Awards:

Contributions:

Lucas was part of a dedicated team fighting the Taliban, a fundamentalist regime that a U.S.-led coalition knocked from power in Afghanistan in 2001, but has continued to conduct guerilla operations, particularly along the Pakistan border. Lucas worked to help ensure al Qaeda terrorists could not train in, nor launch strikes from Afghanistan since their lethal attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. Lucas was also a veteran of the first Persian Gulf war to liberate Kuwait.

Jeffrey Lucas set his sights on being a SEAL in 4th grade, when he wrote a paper about the Special Forces, Green Berets, Army Rangers, Marine Recon, and Navy SEALs, but said one day he wanted to be a Navy SEAL, because they were the best.

Lucas enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and entered BUD/S four years later. After graduation, he was assigned to SEAL Team ONE (1994 – 1999). He was subsequently assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group and SEAL Team EIGHT, each for a year. He served at SEAL Team TEN from 2002 until his death in 2005.

Jeffrey Lucas was one of 16 troops killed when a MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan on June 28, on a daring night mission to reinforce a four-man SEAL reconnaissance squad in 10,000-foot mountainous terrain.

Lucas, seven other SEALs, and eight Army commandos died in their heroic attempt to rescue their fellow SEALs. LT Michael Murphy, Matthew Axelson, and Danny Dietz fought on courageously and provided protective fire for their fourth squad member to escape, before being killed in the fierce firefight by overwhelming Taliban forces.

A total of 11 SEALs died that day in the Global War against Terror. It was the biggest single loss of life for Naval Special Warfare forces since World War II. To a man, these SEALs embodied the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment, and took care of their teammates to the end.

Jeffrey Lucas is remembered with the greatest respect and gratitude by his fellow SEALs, the Navy, and our nation.