Gary Leo Rehm Jr. died as he lived — while putting the lives of his beloved shipmates far above his own.
When the USS Fitzgerald collided with a massive merchant vessel off the coast of Japan last Saturday, Rehm “leapt into action,” according to The Daily Beast.
The Fitzgerald was struck below the waterline, and as the ship began to flood, the 37-year-old Fire Controlman 1st Class went below deck, saving at least 20 sailors.
He went back to save the other six, but by then, the ship had taken on too much water and the hatch was sealed. Rehm Jr. and the others were later found dead in flooded quarters.
“That was Gary to a T,” Rehm Jr.’s friend Christopher Garguilo, told NBC4i in Columbus, Ohio. “He never thought about himself.”
“He called [the sailors on the ship] his kids,” his uncle, Stanley Rehm Jr., told The Daily Beast. “He said, ‘If my kids die, I’m going to die.’”
Rehm Jr. would frequently invite “his kids” over to his house in Virginia while they were docked in the US.
“He was always ready to help anybody who needed it. He was just that kind of guy,” his uncle said.
“Gary was one of those guys that always had a smile on his face,” Daniel Kahle, who had served with Rehm Jr. on the USS Ponce, told The Chronicle-Telegram. “(Gary was) such a great guy and (it’s) such a great loss. He needs to be remembered for the person we all knew him to be.”
Just like his grandfather, Rehm Jr. joined the Navy right out of high school. He was considering retiring soon but also hoped to be named captain someday.
Rehm Jr. was raised in Ohio and is survived by his wife, Erin.
Rest easy, sailors.
h/t Yahoo!
