Coast Guard Honors Stony Brook Native Killed Overseas

Family, friends and Coast Guard officers and servicemembers gathered last Friday to honor a Stony Brook native who was killed while serving with the Coast Guard in Operation Iraqi Freedom in April of 2004.

Nathan B. Bruckenthal was 24 years old when he died; a memorial service is held each year at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Eaton's Neck to pay tribute to his life and his service.

“His legacy serves as a reminder that his character is in all of us," Capt. Joseph Vojvodich said during his speech. "We inherited a service shaped by many who have scarified and endured. We are part of a noble and honorable profession. We remain integral to the safety and security of our nation, as an organization built upon selfless service from the likes of Nate Bruckenthal."

According to the Coast Guard, Bruckenthal, who was a junior ROTC member in high school in Vermont and a former volunteer firefighter in Connecticut, was among the first Coast Guard servicemembers to be deployed during the early part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon, and later, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, the Purple Heart, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

A ceremonial wreath was laid in the Long Island Sound in his honor as a chaplain read a benediction.