Tweet
SEAL Team Four commander in Afghanistan 'commits suicide': Married father is found shot dead
Commander John W Price, 42, oversaw SEAL Team Four, which was training Afghan police in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan
Father of a young daughter Jillian, 9, is also survived by his wife Stephanie
SEALs have suffered heavy casualties in Afghanistan
The leader of Navy SEAL Team Four, one of the most senior commanders in the elite world of special operations, has died after apparently committing suicide in Afghanistan, it was reported today.
Commander John W Price, 42, was found dead in his quarters with a gunshot wound on Saturday - just three days before Christmas.
Cmdr Price was based in Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia, near Norfolk and had been in the military for more than 23 years.
He leaves behind a wife, Stephanie and a nine-year-old daughter Jillian, who both live in Virginia Beach.
The commander is originally from Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
He commanded six platoons, two-dozen SEAL commandos and numerous support staff, deployed in Uruzgan Province, where they were conducting counter-terrorism missions and training police in remote parts of the country.
SEAL Team Four is one of nine teams of special operations troops. The most famous of the combat groups is the classified SEAL Team Six, which conducted the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
A U.S. military official said the death 'appears to be the result of suicide.' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the death is still being investigated.
More...
Missing Briton 'kidnapped' by FBI and facing life in prison: Family stunned as man stripped of his UK passport appears in New York court
North Korea's salvaged space junk: Crumpled debris from rocket is retrieved by South Korea scientists who say rogue state has capacity to strike US West Coast
'The Naval Special Warfare family is deeply saddened by the loss of our teammate,' said Captain Robert Smith, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group Two, which manages all Virginia-based Navy SEAL teams.
'We extend our condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family, friends, and NSW community during this time of grieving.
'As we mourn the loss and honor the memory of our fallen teammate, those he served with will continue to carry out the mission.'
CNN reports that Cmdr Price was not involved in any controversies or military discipline. It is unknown why he committed suicide.
His body was found when he failed to report for duty on Saturday, a source told the network.
SEAL Team Four specializes in operations in Latin America and all members of the team are required to speak Spanish.
The team was deployed to Grenada in 1983. The unit has also had multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2009, then-Cmdr Dennis Debobes was fired as head of SEAL Team Four because his superiors had 'lost confidence in his ability to perform his duties.'
No specific reason for the termination was cited.
The Navy SEALS have been involved in numerous high-profile missions during the war in Afghanistan, and have taken numerous causalities during high-profile attacks.
Eleven Navy SEALs died in 2005 during Operating Whalers, when a team of SEAL Team Six commandos were ambushed during a mission to disrupt Afghan operations. A helicopter launched on the subsequent rescue mission, Operation Red Wings, saw shot down, as well, killing all aboard.
SEAL Teams Six and Ten were involved in those operations.
In August 2011, 22 SEALs, most of them members of the elite Team Six, were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down by Taliban fighters.
The SEALs had been dispatched to assist a group of Army Rangers in capturing a top commander.
The Taliban claimed they had lured the commandos to their deaths by feeding false information to American intelligence operatives.
Commander John W Price, 42, oversaw SEAL Team Four, which was training Afghan police in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan
Father of a young daughter Jillian, 9, is also survived by his wife Stephanie
SEALs have suffered heavy casualties in Afghanistan
The leader of Navy SEAL Team Four, one of the most senior commanders in the elite world of special operations, has died after apparently committing suicide in Afghanistan, it was reported today.
Commander John W Price, 42, was found dead in his quarters with a gunshot wound on Saturday - just three days before Christmas.
Cmdr Price was based in Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia, near Norfolk and had been in the military for more than 23 years.
He leaves behind a wife, Stephanie and a nine-year-old daughter Jillian, who both live in Virginia Beach.
The commander is originally from Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
He commanded six platoons, two-dozen SEAL commandos and numerous support staff, deployed in Uruzgan Province, where they were conducting counter-terrorism missions and training police in remote parts of the country.
SEAL Team Four is one of nine teams of special operations troops. The most famous of the combat groups is the classified SEAL Team Six, which conducted the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
A U.S. military official said the death 'appears to be the result of suicide.' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the death is still being investigated.
More...
Missing Briton 'kidnapped' by FBI and facing life in prison: Family stunned as man stripped of his UK passport appears in New York court
North Korea's salvaged space junk: Crumpled debris from rocket is retrieved by South Korea scientists who say rogue state has capacity to strike US West Coast
'The Naval Special Warfare family is deeply saddened by the loss of our teammate,' said Captain Robert Smith, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group Two, which manages all Virginia-based Navy SEAL teams.
'We extend our condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family, friends, and NSW community during this time of grieving.
'As we mourn the loss and honor the memory of our fallen teammate, those he served with will continue to carry out the mission.'
CNN reports that Cmdr Price was not involved in any controversies or military discipline. It is unknown why he committed suicide.
His body was found when he failed to report for duty on Saturday, a source told the network.
SEAL Team Four specializes in operations in Latin America and all members of the team are required to speak Spanish.
The team was deployed to Grenada in 1983. The unit has also had multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2009, then-Cmdr Dennis Debobes was fired as head of SEAL Team Four because his superiors had 'lost confidence in his ability to perform his duties.'
No specific reason for the termination was cited.
The Navy SEALS have been involved in numerous high-profile missions during the war in Afghanistan, and have taken numerous causalities during high-profile attacks.
Eleven Navy SEALs died in 2005 during Operating Whalers, when a team of SEAL Team Six commandos were ambushed during a mission to disrupt Afghan operations. A helicopter launched on the subsequent rescue mission, Operation Red Wings, saw shot down, as well, killing all aboard.
SEAL Teams Six and Ten were involved in those operations.
In August 2011, 22 SEALs, most of them members of the elite Team Six, were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down by Taliban fighters.
The SEALs had been dispatched to assist a group of Army Rangers in capturing a top commander.
The Taliban claimed they had lured the commandos to their deaths by feeding false information to American intelligence operatives.
Comment