The Navy has identified a sailor who died April 18 on Tinian, an island near Guam in the Northern Marianas, as a Seabee from Port Hueneme, Calif.
CMCN Gen Sun, 35, was assigned to the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 as a constructionman and deployed to Tinian with a Seabee construction detail for infrastructure improvement projects, according to a news release Tuesday from the 7th Fleet.
Tinian Search and Rescue found Sun unresponsive after he was swept out to sea while snorkeling on his free time Sunday. Sun was originally from Maryland, according to the release.
“He quickly gained the friendship of those around him, and had a reputation as an exceptional Sailor,” Cmdr. Troy Brown, the battalion’s commanding officer, said in a Facebook post on the unit’s official page Tuesday. “As we all take time to grieve, we extend our deepest condolences to his wife, daughters, parents, and extended family. He made us a better team and we are very fortunate to have had him as part of our family.”
Sun completed recruit training in 2019; the construction battalion was his first duty station, Brown wrote in his post.
The cause of death is being investigated by the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety police division and Naval Criminal Investigative Service, according to the Navy’s release.
Navy projects in Tinian include road rebuilding and equipment repair. The Seabees have a long relationship with the Pacific island, deploying in support of the Defense Support to Civil Authorities following Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018.
earl.erica@stripes.com Twitter: @ThisEarlGirl