Brendan John Looney
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy

Navy Lieutenant (SEAL) Brendan John Looney of Owings, MD, assigned to a West Coast-based SEAL Team, died on 21 September 2010, in Ayatalah Village, Afghanistan, when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, in which he was a passenger, crashed during combat operations.

[Also killed in the crash were: Army Lt. Col. Robert F. Baldwin, Army Sgt. Marvin R. Calhoun Jr., Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonah D. McClellan, Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) David B. McLendon, Navy Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class (SEAL) Denis C. Miranda, Army Staff Sgt. Joshua D. Powell, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Adam O. Smith, and Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew G. Wagstaff.]

A native of Owings, MD, Looney was a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School. After high school, Brendan attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he made the switch from football to lacrosse and went on to become an All-American in the sport. In his senior year at the Academy, Brendan took the field alongside his brothers Stephen and Billy, something he described as a 'once in lifetime chance.' That same year, he led his team to the NCAA National Championship game.

After graduation in 2004, Brendan was commissioned as an Intelligence Officer and assigned with Commander Naval Forces Korea, Detachment Chinhae. In May 2006, he received orders to Naval Special Warfare Group TWO, after which he reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S). Through his toughness, tenacity, hard work and leadership, Brendan was selected as 'Honorman' of Class 265, where his name will be forever engraved in Naval Special Warfare history as the best that Class 265 had to offer. Upon graduation from BUD/S, Brendan reported to SEAL Team THREE where shortly after, celebrating with his family and friends, he married his girlfriend of five years, Amy Hastings.

Three days after his wedding, he met his teammates on deployment in Iraq. Upon redeployment and follow-on training cycle, he deployed as the Alpha Platoon Assistant Officer in Charge to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Brendan was killed on his 59th mission while conducting combat operations in the Zabul province of Afghanistan.

As a SEAL, Brendan was described as a skilled operator who led and motivated the people around him. As a brother, Brendan was protective, crushing any opponent who dared go after his brothers on the lacrosse field and making sure to phone his younger sisters before each school dance. As a son, he honored his parents in every aspect of his life, remaining humble in victory and gracious in defeat. As a friend, Brendan was often referred to as the 'the best,' always willing to lend a hand when needed and never expecting anything in return. As a husband, he upheld his commitment to be faithful, honest, and loyal to his wife Amy, whom he loved unconditionally.

Even though his life came to a tragic and early end, he accomplished more than most people will in their entire lives. Brendan Looney, in life, was a shining beacon of light, integrity, and kindness. In death, he continues to inspire greatness in others. Brendan was survived by his wife, Amy, his parents, Kevin and Maureen, and his five siblings, Steve, Billy, Bridget, Erin, and Kellie.

Vice Admiral Michael Miller, Superintendent of the Naval Academy, said it best, “Brendan serves as a reminder to us all of the commitment we make to our country as leaders in the Naval Service.”

Best Friends Buried Side by Side

Brendan Looney and Travis Manion [Honoree Record ID 7000] spent four years together at the U.S. Naval Academy learning to be sailors and officers and, by the time they graduated in 2004, had become the best of friends. Now they will be reunited side by side in Arlington National Cemetery.

Manion, a Bucks County native and First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, was killed in Iraq in 2007. On 21 September 2010, Lieutenant Looney, a Navy SEAL and Manion's Naval Academy roommate for three years, was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan that also took the lives of eight other Americans.

Shortly after Manion's death in 2007, his family laid him to rest at Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Montgomery County, a 30-minute drive from the family's Doylestown Township home. Not long after that, they learned from his friends that Travis had expressed a desire to be buried in Arlington, said his father, Tom Manion.

Manion's family was planning to have his remains moved to Arlington, but it was not easy to do, his father said. When they learned of Looney's death, and that he had told his wife if he were killed he would like to be buried at Arlington with Travis, they set the wheels in motion. Cemetery officials told the family they don't save spaces, so if they wanted Travis to be buried next to his close friend, they'd need to move quickly, Manion said.

"It just seemed like if we were going to move him down there, moving him to be right next to his roommate would be a good thing," Manion said. "It is hard to think about a good thing at a time like this, losing someone like Brendan. It just seemed like it made sense to make it happen."

The two men, both good students, strong athletes and born leaders, shared a love of family and great sense of humor that created a strong bond, Manion said. He said Looney's wife, Amy, told him that before his death, her husband had said he kept three things with him at all times while fighting in Afghanistan: his watch, their wedding ring and a bracelet honoring his fallen friend Travis.

"They used to call themselves brothers from a different mother," Manion said. "Anytime they were together they were always having a good time … and a lot of laughs and were a lot of fun being around. That is my lasting memory of the two of them when they got together."

Looney, a star lacrosse player from Owings, MD, was killed during a special operation in southern Afghanistan's Zabol Province. He was 29. Manion, 26, was killed on 29 April 2007, by a sniper in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Over the years, the two men's friendship brought their families together, Manion said. When Looney's parents went to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to retrieve their son's body, they asked the Manions to accompany them.

Manion will be buried in Arlington on Friday. Looney will be buried next to him three days later.

"If you are going to be laid to rest, I know he wanted to be in Arlington," said Manion, who has said his son's service inspired him to run for Congress in 2008. "And to be next to Brendan, his brother-in-arms and his great friend.…I can't help but think that if this had to happen, he has to be sort of happy that he is beside his buddy Brendan."

Burial

Lieutenant Brendan John Looney is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Arlington County, VA, in Section 60, Site 9180.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Combat Action Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Special Warfare Insignia (SEAL)