DOB/DOD: July 17, 1979 (Smithtown, NY) – April 24, 2004; 24 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Patricia A.M. Rombo [born in Katrineholm, Sweden] (1979-) on March 16, 2002, in King, Washington
CHILDREN: One daughter, Harper N. (2004-)
LOCAL ADDRESS: Grandview Drive; Ridgefield
ENLISTMENT: January 5, 1999
COAST GUARD RATE: DC – Damage Controlman
UNIT: Tactical Law Enforcement Team South Detachment 403; Coast Guard Air Station Miami (Opa-Locka), Florida
FAMILY: Born to Ric (1958-) and Laurie Bullock Freiman (1950-). Stepmother, Patricia Bruckenthal (1955-). Sister, Noa Beth (1977-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Navy/Marine Combat Action Ribbon, Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbon, Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary) with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Coast Guard Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Coast Guard Rifleman Marksman Medal, Coast Guard Pistol Shot Medal, Tactical Law Enforcement Bage, and Enlisted Cutterman Badge.
OTHER: During his two years in Connecticut, Nathan played football for Ridgefield High School and was involved with a club that helped students who were new to the school. He often spoke of wanting to be either a police officer or a firefighter.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was one of three killed in a waterborne attack against the USS Firebolt (PC-10) while participating in a Maritime Interception Operations (MIO) in the northern Persian Gulf near the Iraqi Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal. He was the first Coast Guard member killed in action since Vietnam. Also killed in this action:
Navy Boatswain’s Mate First 1st Class Michael J. Pernaselli; Monroe, New York
Navy Signalman 2nd Class Christopher E. Watts; Knoxville, Tennessee
Nathan B. Bruckenthal, United States Coast Guard Petty Officer, lost his life while serving his country. He is the first and only Coast Guardsman to be killed in action since the Vietnam War. Those of us who knew and loved him believe that his heroism stemmed from a familial sense of service; this sense of service was instilled in Nate at an incredibly young age. He was a member of the Navy Junior ROTC while attending Herndon High School in Virginia. After graduation, he joined the Ridgefield, Connecticut Volunteer Fire Department. He returned to Long Island and joined the Coast Guard in 1998. His first duty station was on the Coast Guard Cutter Point Wells, based in Montauk, NY. During his service on that cutter, he was awarded the USCG Pistol Marksman Ribbon and USCG Rifle Marksman Ribbon and received a Unit Commendation Award. Later, he requested and was sent to Yorktown, VA, for training as a Damage Controlman. This led to his next assignment in Neah Bay, Washington.
At Neah Bay he met his wife Pattie Bruckenthal nee Rombo. The station was located on the Makah Native American Reservation. There, Nathan volunteered as a police officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, and assistant high school football coach on the reservation. During his tenure in Washington, he received the Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon. His decision to extend his enlistment was based on his desire to continue to serve his country in an even more challenging position in the Coast Guard. He was accepted to the elite tactical law enforcement program and assigned to Taclet South, housed aboard Air Station Miami. He was recognized as a leader by his commanding officers. He received numerous awards for drug extradition operations and alien interdiction in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, including the National Defense Service Medal, Coast Guard Merit Team Commendation, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.
Because of his unique skills and abilities, he was chosen to be among the first Coast Guardsmen deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003. While there, he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon for action in and around the port of Um Qasar.
In March 2004, at the request of his command staff, he volunteered for a second deployment to Iraq. Only weeks after discovering that his wife was carrying his unborn child, Nathan Bruckenthal and two U.S. Navy sailors were killed when a suicide bomber attacked their rigid hull inflatable boat. Nathan had been chosen to become a part of the Taclet’s training unit, and his job that afternoon was to instruct Navy personnel on conducting maritime interdiction operations. The team observed a suspicious vessel that did not heed their commands. The team intercepted the vessel. This selfless act of courage protected the crew aboard the U.S.S. Firebolt, the offshore oil platform, and the oil terminal itself at Khawr Al Amaya in the northern Arabian Gulf.
Nathan Bruckenthal will always be remembered for his kindness to others, sense of humor, devotion to his family, and service to his country. Nathan’s daughter, Harper Natalie, was born on November 19, 2004. Pattie and Harper initially moved to Ashburn, Virginia, where Pattie attended and graduated from George Mason University’s School of Nursing. They have since relocated to Katrineholm, Sweden, Pattie’s hometown.
Nate is remembered in many ways. The barracks at Station Montauk, where he first served, have been renamed Bruckenthal Hall; Nate’s Open Door Baby Pantry & Exchange is a not-for-profit baby pantry that assists military and civilian employees who work in the greater Baltimore area; Taclet South in June 2021 dedicated their facility as Nathan Bruckenthal Hall; his brothers spearheaded a community service project while serving in their local junior fire department and an Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom monument honoring those who served now stands in Northport: It too bears his likeness. His story has been published in Faces of Freedom (www.rebeccapepin.com). Three coins have been minted acknowledging his sacrifice; the most recent is on display at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. The Crescent City, California, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps has honored Nate by naming its division after him. In January 2009, the Surface Navy Association added Nate’s name to their Hall of Fame. On October 29, 2010, a new fitness center was dedicated to Nate at the Base Support Unit at Sand Pedro, California, and a service dog was named after Nate (www.vetsfwd.org). In February 2013, Bruckenthal Hall was dedicated at the Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, and the Ridgefield (CT) Fire Department placed a plaque honoring Nate among their wall of heroes. The USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal, the 24th Fast Response Cutter named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes, was commissioned on 25 July 2018 and is homeported at Atlantic Beach, NC. In 2023, the newly created unit of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Staten Island, NY, honored Nate by using his name. These are just a few of the testaments to Nate.
When Nate first died, a fund was established to ensure Pattie and Harper would be cared for and that they both could be granted a higher education. Because of the generosity of so many, the Fund has been able to assist worthy causes in Nate’s name with some of its resources, including the Coast Guard Foundation, Coast Guard Enlisted Memorial, Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Foundations, the Wounded Warrior Project, Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, Nate’s Open Door, and Veterans Moving Forward, to name a few.
Herndon High School (Ashburn, VA); Class of 1997
Yearbook, the year Nathan graduated. The bottom photo is the Navy Junior ROTC program.
He is listed as “Command Master Chief Nathan Bruckenthal.” Photos contributed by
Karen Williams, Office/Library Assistant, Herndon High School.
BRONZE STAR MEDAL CITATION
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” (Posthumously)
TO
Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal
United States Coast Guard
FOR
Heroic achievement in connection with combat operations against the enemy while serving as Boarding Officer with U.S.S. FIREBOLT (PC-10) and the United States Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 403 during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 24 April 2004. While patrolling the security zone around the Al Basra Oil Terminal in Iraqi territorial waters, Petty Officer Bruckenthal detected a small, unidentified dhow proceeding towards the Oil Terminal. After maneuvering the tram to screen the oil terminal, Petty Officer Bruckenthal approached the dhow to investigate its actions. As the boarding team drew alongside the dhow, the attacker on board the vessel, realizing he had been discovered, detonated explosives packed on board, mortally wounding Petty Officer Bruckenthal. The explosion alerted all in the area to an ongoing coordinated attack, allowing security forces to destroy two additional explosive-laden vessels, thereby preventing massive casualties, irreversible environmental damage, and the destruction of the Iraqi people’s major economic lifelines. By his zealous initiative, courageous actions, and exceptional dedication to duty, Petty Officer Bruckenthal reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Coast Guard and the United States Naval Service.
Memorialized in front of the Northport Fire Department. The monument was dedicated in 2006.
On September 30, 2005, the unaccompanied personnel housing at Coast Guard Station Montauk was dedicated to the memory of Petty Officer 3rd Class Bruckenthal.
On February 12, 2013, the “C” School housing building, Bruckenthal Hall, at the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, was dedicated to the memory of Petty Officer 3rd Class Bruckenthal.
From The Washington Post on July 25, 2018
By Patricia Sullivan
Bravery in battle: Coast Guard ship named for slain Iraq War hero
A military band played, flags snapped in the breeze, 24 members of the new ship’s crew stood at attention, and Coast Guard brass, including the commandant, filled an Alexandria dock Wednesday morning to commission a new ship named after the first Coast Guardsman killed in action since the Vietnam War.
Nathan Bruckenthal, a Herndon High School graduate who died during the Iraq War in 2004, would have been proud — and embarrassed — by the hoopla surrounding the commissioning of the USCG Nathan Bruckenthal, his older sister said.
“Nobody could entertain like Nathan. Nobody could light up a room, make you feel loved, and laugh like him,” Noabeth Bruckenthal said. “His pride [in the Coast Guard] was tremendous… but he’d be completely humbled by this.”
Bruckenthal, a 25-year-old petty officer third class, was killed in the Persian Gulf when he and six sailors from the USS Firebolt sought to board and investigate a “dhow,” or small sailboat, that was drawing too close to an Iraqi oil terminal. As Bruckenthal’s team pulled alongside, a suicide bomber aboard the dhow detonated, killing Bruckenthal and two Navy sailors, Michael Pernaselli of Monroe, New York, and Christopher Watts of Knoxville, Tennessee.
His Bronze Star citation said that because of Bruckenthal’s and his team’s actions, nearby security forces were alerted to a larger coordinated attack and were able to stop two similar explosive-laden vessels before they detonated. Bruckenthal is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The ship’s new commanding officer, Lieutenant Bryan Kilcoin, said Bruckenthal was on his second deployment to the Persian Gulf and had volunteered for a second watch on the day he was killed. He called Bruckenthal the embodiment of honor, respect, and devotion to duty.
Kilcoin said the ship’s crew had voted to make the new ship’s motto “bravery in battle.”
Bruckenthal’s family remembered a big, loud, fun-loving young man who, while serving at a remote Neah Bay, Washington post, volunteered as a firefighter and high school football coach at a nearby Makah tribal reservation. That’s where he met his wife, Patricia, who was studying on the reservation. They were married at Seattle’s Space Needle, where he wore a kilt that showed off the tattoos on his calf.
“He was always a hero in our mind before he made the ultimate sacrifice,” said his father, Ric Bruckenthal. “The last story is the sad story, but also a great story because we don’t know how many people’s lives he and his crew saved that day.”
The new 154-foot Fast Response Cutter is one of 28 ships that are being named after Coast Guard heroes, officials said. The USCG Nathan Bruckenthal was built in Louisiana and will be based in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, where its mission will include search and rescue, drug enforcement, and homeland security.
Bruckenthal, whose wife was three months pregnant when he died, never met his now 13-year-old daughter, Harper. But he seemed to have met nearly everyone else in the large crowd that filled the Alexandria dock, including friends from his native Long Island to high school classmates in Northern Virginia and shipmates from several postings.
Maritime Enforcement Specialist Chief Joseph Ruggiero was one. A Coast Guardsman since 2000, Ruggiero was a member of the USS Firebolt crew in 2004 and was one of four survivors from the small boat commanded by Bruckenthal on April 24, 2004.
“It happened so fast; there was no warning,” he said Wednesday after the official ceremony. He was injured by shrapnel to his face and arm, suffered hearing damage, and required jaw reconstruction surgery.
Just before the ship’s commissioning ceremony, he reenlisted for another three years aboard the USCG Nathan Bruckenthal.
“I wouldn’t do it anywhere else,” he said.
From FallenHeroesMemorial.com
“A year has now passed since I last spoke to my husband, Nathan…just a few hours before he was hurt by the terrorist. He was so happy about us starting a family, and he told me that I could start counting the days since he was coming home soon…he was through half of his deployment and couldn’t wait to come home where he belonged, he said. I miss him so much. I see him in our daughter, Harper, every day, as she is the spitting image of Nathan. Every time I look at her, I can’t stop smiling, and it feels like Nathan is right here with us. She is the most beautiful baby girl, and I love her so much. I want to thank everybody who has been so kind and supportive to Harper and me. Thank you for the beautiful notes, letters, blankets, baby clothes, and more that I have received. I want to especially thank our friends Kathy and Lee. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know where I would have been today. Love you guys. To the Makah tribe, I thank you for letting Nathan be all that he could be in Neah Bay. Thank you for honoring him in the way that you did. It means a lot to me and his family. Nathan loved working in Neah Bay, and he loved the people who lived there. He loved to help out with the football team, and he “loved” running after loose donkeys in Neah Bay. :o) Phil and TJ were just some of his favorites…and Betsy and Glenda and Company, of course, the list could go on and on. Thank you for your friendship.
Sincerely, Pattie and baby girl Harper of Seattle, WA
Boonie hats inscribed with messages of consolation are displayed during a memorial service to Bruckenthal, Christopher E. Watts, and Michael J. Pernaselli in April 2004. Photo credit: Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Alan D. Monyelle.
Memorialized on the Putnam County Veterans Monument, Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park, 201 Gipsy Trail Road, Kent, New York.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Bruckenthal is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia; Section 60, Site 7978.
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
As the sun glides off the face of the earth,
I am there to hold you.
As the wind blows like a raging bull,
I am there to protect you.
I am there when you need me,
From Dusk till Dawn,
I am there.
Do you see me?
I am here….
— Nathan Brandt Bruckenthal, 1996