thedrifter
01-13-09, 06:57 AM
Bill proposes to rename bridge for fallen Navy Seal Daniel Healy
Late Exeter Navy Seal to be memorialized
By Jennifer Feals
jfeals@seacoastonline.com
January 13, 2009 6:00 AM
A group of Rockingham County state representatives and past military servicemen have joined together on a bill to honor a fallen soldier from Exeter.
House Bill 56 seeks to rename the Guinea Road Bridge, which connects Exeter and Stratham, in honor of U.S. Navy Seal Daniel Healy, an Exeter man who died in 2005 while on a combat mission in Afghanistan. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Matt Quandt, R-Exeter; Frank Emiro, R-Londonderry; Mike Kappler, R-Raymond; and Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry.
"I am thrilled that they are going to honor Dan in that way," said Healy's mother, Natalie Healy. She said the bridge is near her home where Daniel grew up.
"It will be a great tribute and a wonderful monument to him," she said.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy was killed June 28, 2005, when his MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
The Exeter High School graduate was among 16 Americans killed in the mission that was part of Operation Redwing, aimed at al-Qaida insurgents. With 11 Navy SEALS lost, it was the largest single-day loss in the history of the SEALS.
The mission's sole survivor, Marcus Luttrell, has co-authored "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10."
The four state representatives sponsoring the bill are veterans, who served in the U.S. Marines, Navy and Army.
"I believe it is well, well deserved," said Baldasaro, a retired Marine.
Baldasaro recognized Healy as a well-decorated veteran who was part of the Navy's "elite."
"He was a cut above many. What better person," Baldasaro said. "Keep in mind, it is a hard price to pay to be one of the finest."
Natalie Healy said her son and his fellow members of Operation Redwing, were honored this past June, on the anniversary of the mission, at Petco Park in San Diego. A ceremony was held for the fallen soldiers and Luttrell threw out the first pitch of a Padre's baseball game.
The ceremony provided Healy an opportunity to meet with the other families and share stories.
"It was so special to get to meet them and talk to them and see how they are doing," she said. "We had met a couple right after, and it was pretty bleak then. But to see how they have managed to deal with it was very gratifying."
Ellie
Late Exeter Navy Seal to be memorialized
By Jennifer Feals
jfeals@seacoastonline.com
January 13, 2009 6:00 AM
A group of Rockingham County state representatives and past military servicemen have joined together on a bill to honor a fallen soldier from Exeter.
House Bill 56 seeks to rename the Guinea Road Bridge, which connects Exeter and Stratham, in honor of U.S. Navy Seal Daniel Healy, an Exeter man who died in 2005 while on a combat mission in Afghanistan. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Matt Quandt, R-Exeter; Frank Emiro, R-Londonderry; Mike Kappler, R-Raymond; and Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry.
"I am thrilled that they are going to honor Dan in that way," said Healy's mother, Natalie Healy. She said the bridge is near her home where Daniel grew up.
"It will be a great tribute and a wonderful monument to him," she said.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy was killed June 28, 2005, when his MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
The Exeter High School graduate was among 16 Americans killed in the mission that was part of Operation Redwing, aimed at al-Qaida insurgents. With 11 Navy SEALS lost, it was the largest single-day loss in the history of the SEALS.
The mission's sole survivor, Marcus Luttrell, has co-authored "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10."
The four state representatives sponsoring the bill are veterans, who served in the U.S. Marines, Navy and Army.
"I believe it is well, well deserved," said Baldasaro, a retired Marine.
Baldasaro recognized Healy as a well-decorated veteran who was part of the Navy's "elite."
"He was a cut above many. What better person," Baldasaro said. "Keep in mind, it is a hard price to pay to be one of the finest."
Natalie Healy said her son and his fellow members of Operation Redwing, were honored this past June, on the anniversary of the mission, at Petco Park in San Diego. A ceremony was held for the fallen soldiers and Luttrell threw out the first pitch of a Padre's baseball game.
The ceremony provided Healy an opportunity to meet with the other families and share stories.
"It was so special to get to meet them and talk to them and see how they are doing," she said. "We had met a couple right after, and it was pretty bleak then. But to see how they have managed to deal with it was very gratifying."
Ellie