SGT Lucas T. Pyeatt
U.S. Marine Corps
March 5, 1986 – February 5, 2011
SGT Lucas Pyeatt’s biography’s follows:
Sergeant Lucas T. Pyeatt was the epitome of a United States Marine. Raised in Newport News, Virginia, Lucas expressed from his earliest moments a keen interest in a wide range of topics and disciplines. Some might call him a Renaissance man. Growing up, whether he was pursuing the rank of Eagle Scout or expertly playing the stand-up bass, Lucas showed a unique passion and enthusiasm for life.
In addition to using his many talents to accomplish many things, he lived his life in a way that would lead even a casual acquaintance to conclude that he was a person whose every action was characterized by kindness and consideration for others. For him, standing up for the little guy was a way of life. Among his many acts of benevolence toward his friends and family was taking the time to learn sign language in order to better communicate with a close friend who was deaf.
After high school, he would attend Old Dominion University for a short while, but Lucas was a young man in a hurry. He wanted something more out of life. In time he would decide to follow in the footsteps of his father, a 30-year veteran of the United States military, and offer his service to his nation by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps.
Lucas put the same drive and devotion into being a Marine that he had exhibited in his formative years. He excelled in his studies at the Defense Language Institute, becoming fluent in Russian. After training, he was assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, at Camp Lejeune. 2011 would find him on the harsh unforgiving battlefields in southern Afghanistan.
The history and legacy of the United States Marine Corps is one of supreme courage and sacrifice on the battlefield. But while Marines are riflemen first, in order to make a difference in the battle spaces of this day and time, Marines must also possess a wide range of other talents and abilities.
While deployed, Pyeatt’s job was to translate, monitor and transcribe critical information in real time, with the aim of gaining intelligence on enemy insurgent operations and activities. During his brief but significant time in Afghanistan, Sergeant Pyeatt’s leadership and technical skills “were instrumental in the conduct of direction finding and enemy communications in a contested region.”
Sergeant Pyeatt had only been “in country” for two weeks when he volunteered to participate in an important mission. While on his first foot patrol in February 2011, he lost his life due to an improvised explosive device.
During his life Lucas T. Pyeatt was many things to many people. To his family, he was a devoted son. To his friends, he was someone they could always look to for help and support. To his nation, Sergeant Pyeatt was a loyal and dedicated member of the United States Marine Corps. His father said it best, noting his son had “accomplished more in his 24 years of life than most people accomplish in a lifetime.” In his service and sacrifice, Sergeant Pyeatt more than lived up to the motto of the Corps by being always
faithful to his loved ones, his fellow Marines, and most of all to those principles and virtues that for over two centuries, have allowed our nation to remain free.
Source: NSA.gov
6 February 2020 at 14:17
As a new CT I was asked to go to learn Russian along with a good friend Phil Sundby. Phil took the offer and later he and 30 other souls were lost when his plane was shot down by the N. Korean’s on April 15, 1969. I never got to see Phil again. However, I was able to participate in honoring Lucas when our pipe band was invited to play as his funeral service in Ohio. It made me feel that I was not only honoring Lucas but Phil as well … hope to see them both at muster in heaven someday.
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7 February 2020 at 05:39
Semper Fi, Marine, and rest in peace.
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