Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator (Select) Richard Freiwald

Died September 12, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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30, of Armada, Mich.; assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Dam Neck, Va.; died Sept. 12 from injuries sustained Sept. 11 while conducting combat operations in Bagram, Afghanistan. Also killed was Navy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator John Wayne Marcum.

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2 SEALs killed in Afghanistan fighting

The Associated Press

Two Navy SEALs from southeastern Michigan have been killed in combat Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.

Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator John Wayne Marcum, 34, of Flushing, and Chief Special Warfare Operator (Select) Jason Richard Freiwald, 30, of Armada, both died Friday from injuries suffered during a battle with heavily armed militants, the Defense Department said Sunday in a statement.

Marcum and Freiwald were temporarily forward deployed from their assignments at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group in Virginia Beach, Va.

Marcum was a graduate of Flushing Senior High School who enlisted in the Navy in 1991 and joined the SEALs after completing basic training, the Defense Department said. He transferred to the Special Warfare Development Group in 2000 and won numerous combat awards, including four Bronze Stars.

Marcum’s survivors include his wife Cynthia and a daughter, Madison, of Virginia Beach; and his parents, Wayne and Luellen Marcum of Flushing.

Family members have declined to be interviewed, the Defense Department said.

Freiwald was born in Utica and graduated from Armada Senior High School. He enlisted in the Navy in 1996 and underwent SEAL training at Coronado, Calif. He served multiple combat deployments in Iraq before joining the Special Warfare Development Group in 2005. His combat awards included a Bronze Star.

Freiwald is survived by his wife Stacey, a daughter, Jasmine, and his parents, Terri and Richard Freiwald.

“The deaths of SOCS Marcum and SOC Freiwald are tremendous losses for Naval Special Warfare and the United States,” Capt. Scott Moore, commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Development Group, said in a statement. “These men were true warriors, dedicated to their country, their fellow SEALs, and the cause for which they were fighting.”

Marcum and Freiwald are at least the sixth and seventh members of the U.S. military with ties to Michigan to die in Afghanistan so far this year.

Flushing is in Genesee County, 75 miles north-northwest of Detroit, and Armada is in Macomb County, 45 miles north-northeast of Detroit.

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Navy Chief Petty Officer Jason Richard Freiwald remembered

The Associated Press

SEAL Jason Richard Freiwald had one brother who also is a Navy SEAL, another training to become one and a third who is in college.

“Their whole family makes everyone in this area quite proud,” said Nancy Moegle, a physical education teacher at Armada High School.

Freiwald, 30, of Armada, Mich., died Sept. 12 from injuries sustained while conducting combat operations. He was temporarily deployed from his assignment at Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

Freiwald’s initial duties were with SEAL teams in California where he completed qualifications to prepare him for combat including sniper training, Arabic, and tactical rock climbing.

Freiwald is one of four brothers all of whom have strong athletic backgrounds, especially in wrestling. Their father, Richard, is the former president of the Armada Athletic Boosters.

“They are a very close family, no doubt, just real good people,” said Ken Keding, a longtime area resident, who visited the Freiwald family to pay their respects along with his wife.

He is survived by his wife, Stacey, and a daughter, Jasmine.