The Navy mentioned Tuesday that Cmdr. Jonathan Volkle, the chief officer of the littoral fight ship USS Marinette, was discovered lifeless from an obvious suicide aboard the ship on Oct. 27.
Volkle, 44, was discovered unresponsive and later pronounced deceased, Lt. Cmdr. David Carter informed Army.com in an e mail Tuesday. The Navy by no means formally introduced the dying however a publicly posted obituary revealed the officer was discovered by crew aboard USS Marinette whereas she was docked in Cleveland.
Carter mentioned that the incident is presently below investigation, however a Navy official confirmed to Army.com that the dying is being handled as a suicide.
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USNI News was the primary to report the dying and the suspicion of suicide.
Based on data offered by the Navy, Volkle joined the Navy in 2007 and served on the frigate USS Kauffman in addition to the destroyers USS John McCain and USS Fitzgerald. In 2017, he moved to Japan the place he held posts in Sasebo and on the mine countermeasure ship USS Patriot.
Volkle reported to the USS Marinette in September 2022, and it was commissioned a yr later. The ship was then set to make its technique to its homeport of Mayport, Florida, however ended up getting caught within the Nice Lakes because of the St. Lawrence Seaway staff strike.
Volkle’s awards embrace the Meritorious Service Medal, three awards of the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal and two awards of the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
The Pentagon not too long ago launched its military-wide suicide information that confirmed that, regardless of a slight dip within the general suicide figures throughout the protection division, the Navy nonetheless struggled to manage the difficulty.
Final yr, the service noticed the very best complete variety of suicides — 71 — since 2019, when it had a file 74 suicides, the very best quantity in a decade.
Based on the obituary, Volkle is survived by his spouse Kaori Kato Volkle; his sons, Bruno and Nino; and his dad and mom, Skip Volkle and Louise Volkle.
Carter mentioned that Littoral Fight Ship Squadron 2 is offering chaplain and psychological well being assist to the ship’s crew. Cmdr. Janet Brooms will likely be assigned as government officer, he added.
Veterans and repair members experiencing a psychological well being emergency can name the Veteran Disaster Line, 988 and press 1. Assist additionally is accessible by textual content, 838255, and through chat at VeteransCrisisLine.internet.
— Konstantin Toropin could be reached at konstantin.toropin@army.com. Comply with him on X at @ktoropin.
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