Injured partner of slain Whidbey sailors identified

Published 10:54 pm Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Navy on Thursday released the name of the sailor who was seriously injured Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded under his armored vehicle, killing two of his comrades from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

Petty Officer 2nd Class David A. Hawxhurst was described as being in stable condition.

Whidbey spokeswoman Kimberly Martin said the Navy would not release any additional information about the wounded sailor for privacy reasons. That includes his age and hometown.

Meanwhile, military officials have not released additional information about how an Arlington Marine died on Monday in Iraq’s Anbar province.

Lance Cpl. Shawn V. Starkovich’s death is under investigation. It has been listed as a noncombat fatality.

A spokesman at the 20-year-old’s home base, Camp Pendleton, Calif., said his command doesn’t have any additional details about how Starkovich died.

At the Pentagon, Marine Capt. Blanca Binstock said the military isn’t likely to reveal additional information about Starkovich until the investigation is complete.

“We’re not going to discuss circumstances surrounding his death if it’s still under investigation,” Binstock said.

More is known about the Whidbey sailors.

The two who died were with Hawxhurst on Tuesday when a bomb exploded along a highway near the town of Samarra in Salah Ad Din province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad.

The deaths of bomb disposal experts Chief Petty Officer Patrick L. Wade, 38, and Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey L. Chaney, 35, come a little more than three months after the naval station was stunned by the killing in Iraq of three other sailors from the same bomb disposal unit.

The three were members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, which consists of about 160 sailors. They deploy in detachments of nine or 10. A total of 19 from the unit were in Iraq on Tuesday.

Since November, sailors in the Whidbey-based bomb disposal unit have received 26 Bronze Stars for their combat efforts.

Hawxhurst had been on at least one previous deployment in Iraq, Whidbey spokeswoman Martin said. He was awarded a Bronze Star in March for previous work dismantling explosives.

A major part of the unit’s job is to prevent roadside bombs from shutting down military supply lines and other operations.

The Oak Harbor community has been stunned by the losses. Members of the unit have been hit particularly hard, Martin said.

“It’s got to have a significant emotional impact on them,” she said. “They are a very tight-knit community. Their lives depend on it. They are still out there doing this job and it’s dangerous. They are putting their lives on the line and they feel very strongly about what they’re doing.”

Chaney, originally from Omaha, Neb., was single. Wade leaves his wife, Kari, and daughters Noel, 3, and Esme, 2 months, at their Oak Harbor home.

The three Whidbey sailors who were killed in April were the first Whidbey sailors to perish in combat since 1991 when two A-6 airmen were shot down during the first Gulf War.

A moving tribute at Whidbey was held April 30 for them on the base. Martin said a memorial for the two sailors killed this week will probably be held in late July or early August.

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.

Funds established for Wade, Chaney

Memorial funds have been established for two sailors who were killed by a bomb this week in Iraq. Both were part of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, based at Naval Station Whidbey Island.

The funds are for Chief Petty Office Patrick L. Wade and Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey L. Chaney.

Donations can be made at any branch of Navy Federal Credit Union worldwide. Anyone with a Navy Federal account can make a direct transfer over the telephone by calling 360-240-0996 on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Checks also can be mailed to Navy Federal Credit Union, 275 SE Cabot Drive, Oak Harbor, WA 98277. Make checks out to EODMU-11 Memorial Fund.

Mail personal notes of condolence to the families or command to EODMU-11, 180 W. Tulagi Ave., Oak Harbor, WA 98278-4930.