EATONS NECK, N.Y. – Coast Guard crewmembers held a memorial service for Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. "Nate" Bruckenthal at Coast Guard Station Eatons Neck, Friday.
Bruckenthal, a Stony Brook, New York, native was killed in action while serving Operation Iraqi Freedom April 24, 2004 at the age of 24-years-old.
Family, friends and military members gather each year at station Eaton’s Neck to remember him and honor his service.
Bruckenthal joined the Junior ROTC while attending high school in Herndon, Virginia. He was later a member of the Ridgefield Connecticut Volunteer Fire Department but moved back to Long Island and subsequently joined the Coast Guard in 1998.
Because of his unique skills and abilities, Bruckenthal was chosen to be among the first Coast Guardsmen to deploy to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003. On his first Persian Gulf deployment he was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon. Bruckenthal was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, the Purple Heart, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
On April 24, 2014, at an Arlington National Cemetery memorial service marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Bruckenthal, Adm. Bob Papp, former Coast Guard Commandant (Ret.) announced a new Fast Response Cutter will bear Bruckenthal’s name as a reminder of his courage and sacrifice in defense of his nation and our freedoms.