Edward E. Jack

Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

February 5, 1952 – January 29, 2005
Age – 51
Detroit, MI

Assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Seven, San Diego, CA

Died of a heart attack aboard the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard

Just weeks after participating in the Navy’s tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia, Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack and the crew of the assault ship Bonhomme Richard were heading to their next mission in the Persian Gulf.

But a heart attack felled Jack, 51, a Navy chaplain assigned to the San Diego-based Destroyer Squadron 7.

The Bonhomme Richard is leading Expeditionary Strike Group 5, a San Diego-based force that includes the transport dock Duluth, dock landing ship Rushmore, cruiser Bunker Hill, guided-missile destroyer Milius and frigate Thach, and the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton, Calif.

A Lutheran minister and military chaplain, Edward E. Jack was a favorite among his shipmates aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. “Everybody loved him,” said his wife, Jean. “He didn’t have to go on this trip. He volunteered.” Jack, 51, of Detroit, died of a heart attack Jan. 29 on the amphibious assault ship in the waters near Iraq. Before reaching Iraq, Jack’s ship was part of the U.S. military’s tsunami relief. He served in the Navy for 23 years, with three in the Navy reserves. He was due to retire in June 2005.

Navy spokesman Lt. Kyle Raines said Jack was most recently based in San Diego, where he was assigned to Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven. “His role was in comforting the sailors and Marines,” said his wife, who noted that her husband also served in the war zone in 2003. “He took it because he liked adventure.”

Jack also is survived by a daughter, Amanda Roggow, and a son, Todd. “Chaplain Jack exemplified an unwavering commitment to Scripture and to service to the men and women of the sea services,” said Cmdr. Mark Steiner, a Lutheran chaplain and a longtime friend of Jack’s. “He will be dearly missed.”