Sing, sweet zephyr, gently, gently,
Carry not the waves ashore;
In the sea's tender depths slumber
My dear, beloved, brothers
TO THE FISHERMEN AND SAILORS LOST AT SEA
From a monument in Latvia, by an unknown poet
The nightmare of every sailor and their family, being lost at sea, the nightmare that has come to be true for Petty Officer 1st Class Theophilus Kwaku Ansong, 34, of Bristow, Va, and his family. On February 4th, 2009, Petty Officer Ansong and two other sailors were in an inflatable boat being lowered off their ship, the USS San Antonio, in the Gulf of Aden, when the boat flipped and the three men were cast into the water.The other two sailors were recovered unharmed, but on Friday, March 13, the Navy announced the death of Petty Officer Ansong, who is presumed drowned. Investigations continue.
Born in Ghana, Petty Officer Ansong emigrated to the United States about 12 years ago. He had been in the Navy for almost ten years, and during his career was stationed in many places across his adopted country, including Texas, Illinois and Virginia.
"He loved his work. He loved being in the Navy. Since he was young, that is what he wanted," Charity Ansong said of her son, "He was a very hardworking young man who had a dream." "We know he loved his country. We knew that with what he was doing anything could happen," Mrs. Ansong continued.
"He wanted to serve his country," Nelson Ansong, Petty Officer Ansong’s father, said. "He was a leader, you know."
But Petty Officer Ansong was not just a leader in the Navy, he was also a leader at home, as the oldest of six boys. His brother, Dillon Gyamena, 19, remembered him as a mentor, "When I was slacking at school and getting in trouble, he said, ‘Oh, you need to stat in school. You need to stop getting in trouble. It’s not going to help you in life,’" Gyamena said. "That straightened me out. He directed me on the right path, and I thanked him for that."
During his time in the Navy, Petty Officer Ansong earned the Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Medal and a Pistol Marksmanship Medal. Away from his ship, he loved giving his brothers rides on his Kawasaki sports bike.
Nelson Ansong mourns his son as "very good and quiet and nice to everyone." May the Ansong family find peace.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT) I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, greenies, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, and JeNoCo.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and families of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
With gratitude and respect,
For Dan,
Heather