| Erik S. Kristensen | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 15, 1972 |
| Died | June 28, 2005 (aged 33)[1] Afghanistan |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1995 - 2005 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Unit | SEALs |
| Battles/wars | Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Red Wings War in Afghanistan |
| Awards |
Bronze Star with Valor device[1]Sea Service Ribbons (2) |
Erik S. Kristensen (March 15, 1972 – June 28, 2005) was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy SEALs who was killed in action during Operation Red Wings. 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.
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Kristensen was born into a military family. His father is Edward Kristensen, a career officer in the United States Navy who rose to the rank of rear admiral.[2] As son to a military father, Erik Kristensen traveled widely with his family as a child, living in places including Japan, Guam and Washington, D.C.. He graduated from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., in 1990 and continued his education at Phillips Academy, Andover, MA before he moved onto the U.S. Naval Academy where he majored in English. After graduation in 1995, he was commissioned an ensign and served in the engineering department of the USS Chandler in Everett, Washington. Kristensen attended the Graduate Institute at St. John's College, in Annapolis, Maryland, while he taught English at the U.S. Naval Academy. He left both his graduate studies and teaching at the Academy to pursue Navy SEAL training. At age 27, his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL came to fruition. He was the oldest in his class to graduate from the program.[2]
On June 28, 2005, SEAL Team 10 was assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (nom de guerre Mohammad Ismail), a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for Taliban operations in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush mountains.[3] The SEAL team was made up of Marcus Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson.[3] Luttrell and Axelson were the team's snipers; Dietz was the communications officer and Murphy the team leader.
The four SEALs stumbled upon local Taliban forces and within an hour, they were engaged in an intense gun battle against a force of more than 150 enemy fighters.[4] Murphy risked his life to get off an emergency message to his command. Upon hearing the cry for help a MH-47 Chinook helicopter was dispatched with a force consisting of SEALs including Kristensen and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment "Nightstalkers" to rescue the team, but the helicopter was shot down by an RPG. All 16 men on the Chinook, including Kristensen, were killed.[5] The battle was later called "the worst single day loss of life for Naval Special Warfare personnel since World War II."[6] In interviews the Taliban leader Ahmad Shah (Taliban) maintained that his forces had set a trap for the American forces: "We certainly know that when the American army comes under pressure and they get hit, they will try to help their friends. It is the law of the battlefield."[7]
Days after Kristensen's death was announced, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement stating his deepest condolences to his family and friends and announcing that flags at the California State Capitol would be flown at half-staff in his honor.[8] His mother told the press that Kristensen would be buried in his Birkenstock sandals.[9] Kristensen is buried in the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery.
A charity, the LCDR Erik S. Kristensen ‘90, USN, Memorial Scholarship Fund, was created in Kristensen's honor after his death. The fund seeks to assist a Gonzaga College High School student whose family serves in the U.S. armed forces. Every year an event called the Erik Kristensen Eye Street Klassic is held to raise money for the scholarship fund.[10]