2023 Honor Challenge

27, of Fallbrook, Calif.; assigned to Tactical Development and Evaluation Squadron 2, Virginia Beach, Va.; died Dec. 11 in Balad, Iraq, as a result of enemy action (booby trap) while conducting combat operations in Iraq.

SEAL chief killed in Iraq, Navy says

Staff report – A Virginia-based SEAL who received two Bronze Stars with “V” devices was killed Tuesday in Iraq, according to a Navy release. Chief Special Warfare Operator Mark Thomas Carter, 27, of Fallbrook, Calif., was killed in enemy action somewhere in Iraq.

Carter was with Tactical Development and Evaluation Squadron 2, based in Virginia Beach, Va. Carter joined the Navy in 1998, according to Navy records, and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school the next year. He was assigned to SEAL Team 3, based at Naval Base Coronado, Calif., then SEAL Team 7.

In April 2004, Carter was assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group at Dam Neck, Va., according to information provided by Navy Personnel Command. That group, formerly known as SEAL Team 6, is an ultra-secretive unit that reports to Joint Special Operations Command, which includes Delta Force. He received his current assignment in July 2006. Carter was selected for chief earlier this year. “I am honored to serve with and lead men and women like Chief Mark Carter. He was an outstanding SEAL, teammate, and great American,” Carter’s commanding officer, who was not named, said in a statement. “On behalf of my command, I extend my condolences and heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends. His ultimate sacrifice, the most noble act for any American warrior, is our tragic loss, and I urge those who knew him to honor his life, in the best way we know how.”

In addition to his Bronze Star, Carter received a Joint Service Commendation Medal with “V” device, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Combat Action Ribbons, and an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, among other decorations. “Losing any of the warriors serving in Naval Special Warfare is a significant loss, but losing a chief petty officer makes that loss even tougher,” said Lt. David Luckett, Naval Special Warfare Group 2 spokesman. “Like so many of his brothers in the SEAL community, Chief Carter lived the SEAL Code, and his actions on and off the battlefield embodied everything noble about serving in the Navy and in Naval Special Warfare.” Carter is survived by his father, mother, three brothers and four sisters.

Information extracted from Honor the Fallen