Brian Bourgeois, the commanding officer of SEAL Team 8, died Dec. 7, 2021, three days after he was seriously injured during routine training off Virginia Beach, Virginia. He's been posthumously promoted to captain. Coffee or Die Magazine composite.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has promoted Brian Bourgeois, the deceased commanding officer of SEAL Team 8, to the rank of captain.
Bourgeois died on Dec. 7, 2021, three days after he was seriously injured during routine training off Virginia Beach, Virginia. The US Naval Academy football letterman was 43 and had survived tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.
Bourgeois was commissioned in 2001, and his decorations included the Bronze Star Medal for battlefield valor. He earned his SEAL trident in 2005.
“By all accounts, Brian was an exemplary leader and teammate. His death was an immense loss for the men and women of SEAL Team EIGHT and the Navy,” Del Toro said in a prepared statement released Wednesday, Oct. 19, by the Pentagon. “This promotion is a testament to his outstanding record of operational assignments, his character and dedication to service of our Navy.”
A US Navy SEAL jumps from a C-2 Greyhound plane above the Chesapeake Bay off Virginia Beach, Virginia, on July 7, 2020. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Scott Fenaroli.
The Defense Secretary has delegated to the Secretary of the Navy the ability to bestow honorary promotions, including posthumous advancements, on sailors and Marines, but only up to the ranks of captain or colonel.
“The loss of Brian is still felt throughout the Naval Special Warfare community,” said Rear Adm. Keith Davids, the commander of the California-based Naval Special Warfare Command, in a prepared statement. “His promotion to captain is an absolute testament to his character, competence, and leadership. Brian was one of our very best leaders, who possessed all the attributes that make our force effective. He led by example, was a terrific teammate, and a committed father, husband, and friend.”
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Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
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