A decorated Navy SEAL commander was found dead at his California home late last week, officials confirmed Wednesday.
Naval Special Warfare Command officials said in a statement no foul play was suspected in Cmdr. Robert Ramirez III’s death in San Diego County on Dec. 19. No cause of death was provided for Ramirez, who commanded SEAL Team 1 and reportedly took over the team about a month before his death.
“Bobby was an outstanding leader, devoted husband and father, and a good friend to us all,” Capt. David Abernathy
told the San Diego Union-Tribune and other outlets in confirming Ramirez’s death. “This is a devastating loss to our community and all who knew him. We will remain in support of Bobby’s family, friends and teammates during this extremely difficult time.”
Officials
told Fox News that his death is being investigated by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Other details about his death were not immediately provided.
The Naval Special Warfare division told the Union-Tribune that they believe no foul play was suspected. It also launched an investigation, officials said.
Ramirez had taken command of SEAL Team 1, part of Naval Special Warfare Group 1 located at Naval Base Coronado in California, about a month ago,
according to the Military Times.
Before that, Ramirez had served in the Navy for 25 years after enlisting in 1996. The outlet said Ramirez, who had five Bronze Stars, attended the Navy Special Warfare Basic Training in 1997 and was commissioned in 2004.
Other than the Bronze Star awards, Ramirez was given three Combat Action ribbons for campaigns during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to KNSD-7 in San Diego, records show he was assigned to the Virginia-based East Coast Special Warfare Unit from June 1997 to July 2001. Between June 2004 and June 2020, he was part of the West Coast Special Warfare Unit as a commissioned officer, and he was promoted to the rank of commander in September 2019.
It’s the second time a Navy SEAL team commander has died in the past year or so.
Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois, the commander of Navy SEAL Team 8, died in December 2021 during a helicopter rope training exercise in Virginia, the military
said at the time.
“USASOC has taken several steps to prevent future events of this nature, including rewriting multiple procedures to ensure both aircrew and partner ground force take appropriate steps to ensure communication is clear and safety remains an utmost concern for all,” command spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Burns
told the Navy Times about two months ago. Around the same time, Bourgeois was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.
