This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Leah Tunnell, LCDR
to remember
Tunnell, Jesse Clayton, LTJG.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Anaheim, California
Last Address Milton, Florida
Date of Passing May 30, 2006
Location of Interment Cedaredge Cemetery - Cedaredge, Colorado
Wall/Plot Coordinates Unknown
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Jesse lost his life in a helicopter crash during Advanced Helicopter Training in HT-8, NAS Whiting Field.
Other Comments:
Jesse and I met in early 2001, while we were both attending the University of Arizona as Midishipmen in the NROTC program. Although Jesse was prior-enlisted, he enrolled in the ROTC program before the STA-21 program was initiated and he was one month short of the four-year service requirement needed to be in the Enlisted Commissioning Program. Therefore, he attended BOOST in Newport, RI and went to school on an ROTC scholarship. We got married in May 2002 and were commissioned together two years later, in May 2004. We were both selected for Aviation, but at that time the Avaiation pipeline was backlogged, so we were stashed at our commissioning ROTC Unit until February 2005, when we moved to Pensacola, FL and began flight training. We were in the same API class and completed training together, and then were sent to separate Primary VT squadrons--Jess went to VT-3 and I went to VT-2. When begain Advanced training at different times and in separate squadrons, with me in HT-18 and Jess in HT-8.
Jesse lost his life during a training mishap on May 30th, 2006. We had just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on May 24th. I continued on to earn my wings. My parents and Jesse's mother pinned on the Wings of Gold that had been posthumously awarded to him, after a review of his training records.
Training Squadron Three was redesignated from Basic Training Group THREE (BTG-3) in the 1950s and is located at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Whiting Field, South Field. VT-3 provides instruction in basic instruments, night flying, formation and gunnery. These four phases take approximately six to eight weeks, depending on the weather and other factors, to complete.
