Navy: Seal Team 1 Commander Discovered Dead in San Diego County Residence

The commanding officer of Navy SEAL Team 1 was discovered dead in his residence in San Diego County on Monday, according to Navy officials.

Cmdr. Robert Ramirez III was 47.

Foul play is not suspected in Ramirez’s death, a Naval Special Warfare Official told Military Times. The San Diego Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating his death.

Capt. David Abernathy, who oversees all San Diego-based SEAL teams as Commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, released a statement in light of Ramirez’s death.

Per San Diego FOX 5, Abernathy wrote:

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ramirez family. Bobby was an outstanding leader, devoted husband and father, and a good friend to us all. This is a devastating loss to our community and all who knew him. We will remain in support of Bobby’s family, friends, and teammates during this extremely difficult time.

“Bobby was even bigger than his smile,” former Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Adam Weiner, a friend of Ramirez, told Breitbart News.

Ramirez enlisted in 1996 and attended Navy Special Warfare Basic Training in Coronado in 1997 before being commissioned as a West Coast Special Warfare Unit officer in 2004, according to NBC 7 San Diego. After arriving in June, he became commander of the unit in November.

He took command of SEAL Team 1 in November, the Military Times noted.

Throughout his distinguished 27-year career, Ramirez’s awards and decorations include “five Bronze Star Medals, three Combat Action ribbons and six medals combined for the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Ramirez’s death comes over a year after another SEAL team commander died.

Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois, commander of SEAL Team 8, died in December after he fell during a helicopter rope training exercise in Virginia. He was 43.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.