Navy SEAL father of two from Cohasset killed in parachute training accident

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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A veteran Navy SEAL from Cohasset, a father of two, died during free-fall parachute training, the Naval Special Warfare Command said.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael Ernst, a Cohasset native, was training in Arizona when he died Feb. 19, military officials said.

His exact cause of death was not immediately known. The Navy did not provide details about the accident, which remained under investigation Friday.

Ernst was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ernst Jr. and graduated from Thayer Academy in Braintree and Denison College, according to a Cohasset Facebook post.

"As we remember Michael we also remember his parents, his wife and children, and his siblings," the post said.

The Navy SEAL Foundation has set up a fundraiser for Ernst's family

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“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ernst family,” Rear Adm. Keith Davids, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement to the Military Times. “Mike was an exceptional teammate. He was a dedicated (Navy Special Warfare) sailor who applied his talents and skills toward some of our nation’s hardest challenges, while selflessly mentoring his teammates.”

"Navy SEAL Mike Ernst was a courageous warrior, loving husband, devoted father and steadfast teammate to his fellow SEALs," U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House physician and retired Navy rear admiral, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Cohasset native Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael T. Ernst," state Sen. Patrick O'Connor, R-Weymouth, said in a statement.

Here is what we know:

Who was Michael Ernst?

  • He was a married father of two children, ages 2 and 5.

  • He grew up in Cohasset.

  • He enlisted in the Navy in 2009.

  • He attended SEAL training the following year and graduated as a SEAL in 2012.

Officials said Ernst spent the rest of his career assigned to a SEAL team on the East Coast except for a stint as a student at MIT for the 2021-22 school year, during which he remained on active duty.

He was awarded a Silver Star for actions in combat, the military’s third-highest award for valor in combat, according to records released by the Navy.

The training accident

  • The accident occurred Feb. 19.

  • Ernst was performing a high-altitude, low-opening jump, or HALO, at an airfield in Marana, Arizona, just outside Tucson.

  • He was taken to a hospital in Phoenix, where he was pronounced dead.

Fourth death since late 2021

Ernst’s death marks the fourth known death of an active-duty Naval Special Warfare sailor since late 2021. The other three are listed below:

  • April 2022: Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler, 29, was a Navy Special Warfare explosive ordnance disposal officer when he was killed during ordnance training at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.

  • February 2022: Kyle Mullen, 24, a student in the early stages of SEAL training who had just completed the notorious “Hell Week,” died of pneumonia in his dorm in Coronado, California.

  • December 2021: Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois, 43, commander of SEAL Team 8, died during a fast-rope training exercise from a helicopter in Virginia. According to his obituary, he died on Dec. 7, 2021.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Navy SEAL Michael Ernst from Cohasset killed in parachute training