Soldier Honored: Erik S. Kristensen

Lt. Commander Erik S. Kristensen, 33, of San Diego, California was assigned to SEAL Team 10 based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  He was killed on June 28, 2005 when an MH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed while ferrying personnel to a battle against militants in eastern Afghanistan. He and several other SEALs set off as part of a search and rescue mission, hoping to assist a four-man SEAL team that was engaged in a firefight with Taliban fighters.

Erik Kristensen graduated from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. in 1990, and continued his education at Phillips Academy before moving on to the

Kristensen’s mother said he loved reading Shakespeare and Melville. He lived blocks from the ocean in Virginia Beach and enjoyed being on the water.  Kristensen, who spoke French, was selected as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar to study in Paris the following year at the Institute of Political Studies.