SITKA, ALASKA

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Lt. Sean Krueger was one of three Coast Guardsmen from Air Station Sitka who died in a helicopter accident on July 7th.

 

He was also a well-liked soccer coach in Sitka.

 

“Sean was an incredible, incredible volunteer and an incredible dad, and set a tone of elegance and high standards for how to advocate for children that I have not seen often,” said Jeanine Brooks, the school counselor at Baranof Elementary and a mother.

 

She remembers a day when they took a group of kindergarten students to the beach.

 

“There was a huge group of kids whose parents weren’t able to come,” she said, “all surrounding Sean, building an amazing sand castle, and I thought, ‘Man, that is how he teaches soccer, and what a difference he has made,’ not knowing that we wouldn’t have him much longer. It would be a really wonderful symbol to name the field after Sean.”

 

The Assembly agreed, although some expressed reservations about the process – seeking more input from the Parks and Recreation Commission before acting. In the end, the Assembly voted unanimously to name the field, which is one of four at the relatively new complex just north of town.

 

Krueger was 33 years old, married, with three children. He was aboard a Coast Guard helicopter en route to Sitka when it went down in the waters off La Push, Washington. He died in the crash, along with Petty Officer First Class Adam Hoke and Petty Officer Second Class Brett Banks. Lt. Lance Leone survived the crash.

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