After he drowned trying to save a teammate, Naval Special Warfare 1st Class Nathan Gage Ingram has been posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps medal for heroism.
Ingram was honored at a ceremony in Imperial Beach on April 18. The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration that is awarded for heroism to Sailors and Marines.
“The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is reserved for those who undertake extraordinary acts of selflessness, often at great peril to themselves, even more so than those they seek to save,” said a Naval Special Warfare Operator during the award ceremony. “Today, Gage will join the ranks of distinguished recipients of this esteemed medal, and we will etch his name into the hallowed halls of Naval Special Warfare, our Navy, and our country for all time.”
Ingram was part of a night mission that interdicted a vessel carrying an illegal shipment of Iranian-supplied ballistic-missile and cruise-missile components to Yemen on Jan. 11, 2024.
During the operation, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Christopher J. Chambers lost his grip and fell into the water while attempting to board a dhow in heavy seas. Ingram did not hesitate and jumped into the Arabian sea after Chambers, the Navy says.
After a 10-day search, both men were pronounced dead.
“One thing that stood out was Gage’s clear understanding of the fallen heroes who came before him and the profound legacies they left within the teams of Naval Special Warfare,” said Jewel Ingram, Gage Ingram’s wife, as she accepted the award during the ceremony. “In Gage’s words, ‘We have to lose one of us to learn and do better. It’s the only way we improve.'”
The loss of Chambers and Ingram triggered training and readiness reviews throughout the Naval Special Warfare community. Safety training, gear checks, and procedural reviews and have been implemented.
Ingram enlisted in the Navy on Sept. 25, 2019, and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Illinois, in November 2019. He graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training Class 346 in Coronado, Calif., in Dec. 2021.
Ingram’s awards and decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and other personal and unit awards.
