James Suh (Navy SEAL) Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About James Suh

• James Suh was a Petty Officer Second Class (QM2) in the United States Navy SEALs. In 2005, he was part of the SEAL Team Ten of the SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDVT-1), which took part in Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan.

• He was raised in a family with poor financial condition.

• In an interview, his sister Claudia revealed that James was very shy and reserved in his childhood.

• James excelled in studies in school as a result of which he was admitted into classes for advanced and gifted students. He was also a member of both the swimming and tennis teams.

• He joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) while studying in college.

• As per his college friends, James performed well in subjects like mathematics and science. Reportedly, he wished to become a veterinarian. However, he decided to become a member of the United States Armed Forces.
  

  James’ photo taken during his college years

• James volunteered to join the US Navy on 15 September 2000.

• In January 2001, he joined the US Navy’s training camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Chicago, Illinois.

• Suh completed his basic military training in March 2001.

• Thereafter, he reported at the US Navy’s Quartermaster School. He received additional training there till May 2001.
  

  James Suh (in the centre) after completing his training at the Naval Boot Camp

• He later enrolled in class 237 of the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) program with the goal of becoming a US Navy SEAL.

• After that, he went to the United States Army Airborne School, popularly known as Jump School, in Fort Moore, Georgia. There, he received basic training to become a paratrooper (military parachutist).

• In August 2002, Suh successfully finished the 26-week-long SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) and was awarded the Naval Special Warfare Insignia, commonly referred to as the SEAL team trident badge.

• He was later deployed to Panama, where he underwent Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV) training until November 2002.

• Thereafter, he attended SEAL Sniper School in Indiana, where he received training as a sharpshooter.
  

  James sitting with his sniper rifle

• In December 2002, he joined the SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDVT-1) in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. According to sources, after James moved to Hawaii to join his unit, his father also shifted to Hawaii to stay close to him. He served in Hawaii till January 2005.
  

  James posing for a photo

• At the beginning of 2005, James, along with SVDT-1, was sent to Afghanistan to assist the US and the NATO forces in conducting operations against the Taliban under Operation Enduring Freedom. There, he undertook numerous counter-terrorist operations and combat patrols.
  

  A photo of James Suh taken when he was in Afghanistan

• SVDT-1 was assigned a mission in June 2005 to gather intelligence and apprehend or eliminate Ahmad Shah, a high-ranking Taliban leader suspected to be in hiding within Afghanistan’s Kunar Province.
  

  A photo of Ahmad Shah

• On 28 June 2005, a team of four SEAL members, including Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, Petty Officer Second Class Danny Dietz, Petty Officer Second Class Matthew Axelson, and Petty Officer Second Class Marcus Luttrell, was sent to the mountains in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan.
  

  From left to right – Matthew Axelson, Daniel R. Healy, James Suh, Marcus Luttrell, Eric S. Patton, and Michael P. Murphy

• The mission faced a setback when a sizable Taliban force attacked the four SEALs after discovering them. The attack led to the team radio for immediate extraction. In response, US commanders deployed a CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying sixteen special forces commandos with James Suh in the chopper.
  

  James Suh with his friend Matthew Axelson who was killed during Operation Red Wings (2005)

• The helicopter faced heavy enemy fire as it approached the landing site, ultimately resulting in a crash that claimed the lives of all military personnel on board. The helicopter was reportedly shot down by a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). ^[4]Pritzker Military Museum & Library

• American troops undertaking a Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR) mission in the mountains in Kunar Province retrieved his remains. Giving a detail of James’ demise, the US Navy citation states,
  

  As part of a Quick Reaction Force, Petty Officer Suh was sent to reinforce a Navy SEAL Special Reconnaissance element engaged in a fierce firefight against a numerically superior Anti-Coalition Militia near Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan. The Special Reconnaissance element was under siege from enemy fire in extremely rugged and unforgiving terrain. Demonstrating exceptional resolve and fully comprehending the ramifications of the mission, Petty Officer Suh’s element launched aboard a helicopter for direct insertion onto an active battlefield, ready to engage and destroy the enemy in order to protect the lives of their fellow SEALs. While airborne Petty Officer Suh continued working with members of his team to develop the plan of attack to support both a Quick Reaction Force and an urgent execution of the intended deliberate assault. As the helicopter hovered in preparation for a daring fast-rope insertion of the SEALs, the aircraft was struck by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade fired by Anti-Coalition Militia. The resulting explosion and impact caused the tragic and untimely loss of life of all onboard.”

  

  A collage of the soldiers of the US Armed Forces that took part in Operation Red Wings

• After his demise, the United States government posthumously awarded him the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals in recognition of his valour and service in Afghanistan.

• James Erik Suh was buried with full military honours at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
  

  A photo of James Suh’s tombstone

• Following his demise, the University of Florida honoured his memory by installing a memorial outside the ROTC office on the campus.
  

  A photo of the memorial erected at the University of Florida following his death

• On 11 November 2007, a life-size bronze statue of Suh was installed in Cupertino, California. The statue showed him in a ‘defensive kneeling’ posture with a rifle in his hands.
  

  A photo of the life-size bronze statue erected in California in Suh’s memory

• James’s birth name was Sung Gap. However, he legally changed his name to James Erik to honour his best friend, Erik, who passed away in a firearm-related incident at the age of fifteen. Reportedly, James developed a close mother-son relationship with Erik’s mother and referred to her as ‘mom.’ He even sent her greeting cards on Mother’s Day.

• Suh wrote an emotional letter to Solomon on Father’s Day after joining the UN Navy SEALs. In the letter, he wrote,
  

  When we were growing up we were poor. But we never felt poor because you took us to the beach every day, taught us how to play tennis and took us to the library.”

• He loved playing with action figures like G.I. Joe while growing up.

• He often did skateboarding with his friends.

• In an interview, a friend of Suh talked about an incident where Suh engaged in a physical fight with a fellow student during a basketball game. He said that even though James was physically smaller in size, he managed to gain the upper hand by using a neck hold to force the other student to submit.

• He had a strong friendship with Navy SEALs Matthew Axelson, Marcus Luttrell, and Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy.
  

  James Suh with his fellow SEALs who took part in Operation Red Wings

• In the 2013 Hollywood film Lone Survivor actor Rich Ting essayed James Suh’s role. The film had the famous actor Mark Wahlberg in the lead role.
  

  Actor Rich Ting on the sets of Lone Survivor (2013)

• In honour of James, a memorial was erected in 2014 near Deerfield Beach High School in Florida.

• After James died during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan, challenge coins were created in his memory and made available for purchase on online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, and eBay.
  

  A photo of the James Suh challenge coin