October was supposed to be a joyful month for James Erik Sung Gap Suh. It was when he planned to propose to his girlfriend, Anna Chung, after returning from a six-month deployment with the Navy SEALs. The couple spoke on the phone and e-mailed nearly every day, while James was away at an undisclosed location.

“October was going to be a pretty exciting time,” said Anna.

Then the e-mails stopped.

James and Anna’s future plans came to an abrupt end when Petty Officer 2nd Class Suh was killed in Afghanistan on June 28. James, who was 28, was one of 16 soldiers riding in a helicopter that was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, while attempting to rescue four SEALs on the ground who were in trouble battling Taliban fighters. All 16 aboard the helicopter, half of whom were SEALs, died. Only one of the SEALs on the ground survived, thanks to the kindness of an Afghan shepherd. The 11 SEALs killed in the operation made it the deadliest SEALs incident since the inception of the elite unit 43 years ago. Over 2,000 American soldiers have been killed since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Linda Cleveland, to whom James would send a Mother’s Day card every year, and Solomon at the open-casket service on July 29, the day before the funeral. Photos by Eric Sueyoshi

The SEALs are a specialized group within the U.S. Navy. About 200 soldiers graduate from the training program each year, and the drop-out rate is more than 70 percent. These “frogmen” are highly skilled in underwater demolitions, as well as for operations on sea, air and land, from which they get their name.

Becoming a Navy SEAL was a goal James set for himself in high school. His childhood friend, Frank Portugal, described James (who first enrolled in college and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in statistics) as “the most determined person I’ve ever known.”

The secrecy of the SEALs’ work forced James to limit his conversations with his friends and family, often not telling them his whereabouts. Many of James’ friends and family members were surprised to discover that SEALs were conducting operations in Afghanistan. But they had always understood that James had to keep secrets from them.

Often, James would joke about his missions by creating fantastic stories with a twist of truth. His sister, Claudia Suh Brown, 29, said her brother came to visit once and had a gash on his forehead that looked like it had been a serious injury at one point. When she asked about it, James said he was trying to find a good place to bury himself while doing surveillance. When he looked into a hole to see if it was clear, a jackrabbit popped out of the hole and attached itself to his forehead. All along, he was gesturing as if trying to pry the animal loose.

James in the many guises of a Navy SEAL. Photos courtesy of Claudia Suh Brown

“We were all sitting there and asking if this is in any way true,” Claudia said.

Growing up, James demonstrated a loyalty to his friends and family that was unwavering. James and his friend Portugal grew up with two other boys, Erik Esposito and Neil Bradford, in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The four were best of friends. But tragedy struck during their teenage years. Erik was killed in a gun accident when he was 15.