Seabee dies in Kuwait
Staff reportPosted : Monday Feb 22, 2010 5:22:42 EST
A Seabee supporting Operation Enduring Freedom died Tuesday in Kuwait, the Defense Department announced Thursday. His cause of death was not provided, but the Naval Safety Center Web site said an “E-6 died after a PT run.”
Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SCW) Sean L. Caughman, 43, of Fort Worth, Texas, was assigned to Fort Worth-based Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 22. He joined the Navy Reserve in April 2000 and had been with the battalion for the past year.
NMCB 22, the “Lone Star Battalion,” arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Sept. 8, 2009, and assumed the mission there one week later. The battalion’s tour was extended to seven months in January as part of the 30,000-troop surge.
More than 1,100 additional Seabees have deployed there since, increasing the Navy’s ground presence in the region by 29 percent.
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But if you want to read something written by a person who clearly knew PO1 Caughman - this is a fitting tribute.
Sean L. Caughman (1966 - 2010)
Sean L. Caughman, 43, passed away Tuesday, Feb.
16, 2010.Service: 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26, in Greenwood Chapel. Interment: 2 p.m. in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Funeral Home.Sean was born Oct. 19, 1966, in Fort Worth. He passed away while on his second tour of duty as a Navy Reservist in Kuwait supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sean, a 1983 graduate of Western Hills High School, also graduated from Tarrant County Junior College with an associate of arts degree in 1992 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business from LeTourneau University in 2008. Sean became a proud Navy Reservist in 2000 rising to the rank of petty officer first class. He was deployed twice with the Seabees in naval mobile Construction Battalion 22, the first of these was in 2005. He earned the Seabee combat warfare specialist designator in February 2006 and attained status as a Navy career counselor in June 2007. His awards included the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal, both the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service medals, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal (2) and the Expert Pistol Medal.
Sean had been a well-respected and much-loved member of several Star Trek and science-fiction organizations since the late 1980s. He became the glue that held every group he was involved in together. His lifelong love of "Star Trek," coupled with his visual similarity to one of the characters, led to many chances to dress up in his uniform to act in plays, visit, along with others, kids at children's hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth and just have fun.
He loved movies and was part of the stunt crew during the filming of "The Protector," a 1999 film starring Lee Majors. Sean felt almost every situation in life could be summed up with a quote of movie dialogue. His innate childlike wonderment, his love for everyone he met and his ready smile made him a pleasure to be around. Every child he met called him "Uncle Sean." His love of animals led to a slew of dogs and cats at his house.
Sean was preceded in death by his father, Sam Leach; mother, Truvenza Coleman Leach; and sister, Sandra Leach Burroughs.
Survivors: Longtime companion, Kelly Seaman; noted jazz musician and maternal uncle, Ornette Coleman; noted jazz drummer and cousin, Denardo Coleman, wife, Cheri Coleman, and their son, Ali Coleman, and daughter, Keisha Smithwick; cousin, James Jordan and wife, Nancy Walker; a host of "brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews by choice"; and wonderful friends and comrades-in-arms too numerous to mention.
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Now that lets you know you missed out on something because you never had the chance to meet him.
So tomorrow at 11:30 am, stop for a moment and think about PO1 Caughman and how lucky the Navy was....how lucky America was to have had this man as a citizen and Sailor.
Have a good thought for his family and friends; and his Navy family at NMCB 22 in their time of sorrow.
Fair winds and following seas, Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SCW) Sean L. Caughman!
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