The Navy has released the name of the SEAL who went missing during an ocean training exercise near Oahu. He was Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Matthew John Leathers, 33, of Woodland, California.
The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports Leathers had been with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 at Pearl Harbor since August of 2004.
Leathers disappeared February 19 during an open ocean training mission near Kaena Point. Crews from the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps - along with the Honolulu Fire Department and Ocean Safety - searched more than 24,000 square miles in an attempt to locate Leathers.
Capt. Joanna Nunan, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu, said in a statement released Sunday evening that the search was being called off:
“In this case, I have the heartbreak of informing not only the family, but a close-knit military community, that a loved one could not be found."
Leathers was what was known as an ultra-runner, and Honolulu television station KITV-TV has video of him running in a race to honor veterans. Click here to watch.
