Happy Memorial Day
In loving memory of US Navy diver Robert Stethem.
Happy Memorial Day.
Robert Stethem was a US Navy diver who was tortured and killed in June of 1985 after his flight home from an assignment in Greece was hijacked by terrorists and he was identified as US military.
I remember following every second of the hijacking. Back then I didn’t have my cell phone or 24/7 news updates online.
I also remember the absolute dread when we received the news that he had been killed.
I had just gotten back to the US from a Mediterranean Sea deployment with the US Navy. He was a few years older than me, stationed in the same city (different base).
There is a US Navy ship named for Robert, the USS Stethem.
I think of him often, especially this time of year.
Happy Memorial Day.
While I have you thinking of Robert Stethem and Memorial Day, take a moment to think of the thousands of others who left on deployment and never returned.
