Man who renounced Nigeria to join U.S. Navy dies from ship accident

The U.S. Navy announces the untimely demise of a Nigerian Aviation Machinist, Oriola Michael Aregbesola who passed on after falling from a ship in the Red Sea.

In a statement published on March 20, the U.S. Navy announced that Aregbesola went missing from USS Mason (DDG 87) in the Red Sea.

Sending condolences to his family, HSM-74 commanding officer Cmdr. Eric Kohut described him as a selfless character who had an outstanding performance.

The statement read thus;

“Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Oriola Michael Aregbesola, assigned to the “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74, was deployed with a detachment aboard Mason, which has been operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet since November.

“Aregbesola, of Florida, joined the Navy in July 2020. He reported to HSM-74 in December 2020. Petty Officer Aregbesola fully embodied the selfless character and thoughtful warrior spirit of the United States Navy Sailor,” said Cmdr. Eric Kohut, HSM-74 commanding officer.

“His outstanding performance prior to and during deployment went well beyond aircraft maintenance; he truly saw and valued every member of the ship/air team. He will continue on in the heart of every Swamp Fox and our brothers and sisters in the IKE Carrier Strike Group. Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his family.

“Mason and HSM-74 are part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.”

It is worth noting that after joining the U.S. Navy in 2020, Aregbesola publicly renounced his Nigerian citizenship while emphasizing the hardship he faced while in his home country.

In a post via Twitter, he wrote, “I was jobless for so many years, my country of birth (Nigeria, now renounced) failed me, but the U.S. NAVY saw potentials in me and made me a fine ass sailor, working on Jet engines.”