MIRAMAR, Fla. – Deanna Aregbesola was home in Miramar with her son on Wednesday. She talked about the sacrifices that her husband of nearly six years, a migrant from Nigeria, endured after moving to the United States in 2017.
In the face of intense grief, she also thought about when Michael Aregbesola decided to join the U.S. military to serve the country he loved so dearly and to give her and her son a better life.
She was heartbroken when she got the news that he had vanished while serving as a U.S. Navy sailor in the Red Sea, and when the Pentagon announced he was dead.
“He was a very selfless man,” the grieving widow said.
Her mother, Marva Mathurin, said Miramar officials have been very supportive, but nothing can calm their pain. She said he was a great son-in-law, husband, and father figure.
“We are very, very distraught — devastated,” Mathurin said.
Miramar Police Chief Delrish Moss said it was important to acknowledge that Aregbesola, an aviation machinist’s mate 2nd Class Oriola, made the “ultimate sacrifice.”
The community turned up with everything from gift cards to flowers and groceries. Miramar Vice Mayor Alexandra Davis said they planned to continue to keep an eye on the family.
“We want to be there to support them,” Davis said. “It’s going to be a long road.”
Aregbesola’s death remained under investigation. The U.S. Department of Defense described it as “a non-combat related incident,” and the U.S. Navy described it as a “sailor lost overboard.”
“Aregbesola fully embodied the selfless character and thoughtful warrior spirit of the United States Navy Sailor,” Cmdr. Eric Kohut said in a statement about the petty officer.
Aregbesola, 34, of Broward County, died while serving as an aviation machinist with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 74 aboard the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
“His outstanding performance prior to and during deployment went well beyond aircraft maintenance,” said Kohut, the HSM-74 commanding officer. “He truly saw and valued every member of the ship/air team.”
Aregbesola joined the U.S. Navy in July 2020. He was assigned with the “Swamp Foxes” in December 2020 and deployed off Yemen on the USS Mason, part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group.
“He will continue on in the heart of every Swamp Fox and our brothers and sisters in the IKE Carrier Strike Group,” Kohut said. “Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
The USS Mason has been part of the U.S. 5th Fleet operations since November.
In January, the U.S. Navy reported the USS Mason was supporting “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” which the U.S. Naval Institute reported the Pentagon described as “an initiative to protect commercial traffic in the region after almost two months of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by forces in Yemen.”
The U.S. Central Command reported in February that the USS Mason had shot down a missile in the Gulf of Aden that had been launched from an Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
“The missile was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker,” according to the USCC statement.
The “multi-national push” to protect freedom of navigation continued in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Sunday.
Related stories
Related social media