High school, family to host memorial service for North Texas Navy SEAL killed in mission

Nicole Lopez
·2 min read
5

Family members and the Northwest Independent School District invite the public to attend a memorial service honoring the life of North Texas native Nathan Gage Ingram, one of two Navy SEALs who died in January during a mission.

The service will remember the life of Ingram, a Byron Nelson High School alumnus. It will start at 10 a.m. Feb. 10 at the Northwest ISD Stadium, 1937 Texan Drive in Justin. Gates will open at 8:30 a.m.

Ingram was a Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class from Roanoke. He died Jan. 11 while boarding a ship that was smuggling Iranian missile components to Houthi militants in Yemen, according to the U.S. Navy. He was declared dead after a 10-day search.

In a revised military account, U.S. officials said that Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers was boarding the ship and slipped into the gap that waves created between the vessel and the SEALs’ combatant craft, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. officials further indicated that as Chambers fell, Ingram jumped in to try to save him.

They had originally stated that Ingram had fallen in first and that Chambers had jumped in after him, but said the change in the review is based on new information, according to the Associated Press’ report.

Ingram enlisted in the Navy in 2019 and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.

His teachers say he was well-suited to the military, as he had a strong work ethic and took pride in his work. He played basketball and football in his freshman year of high school before working as the manager of the varsity basketball team for three years.

Scott Curran, the former coach for the Nelson High School basketball team and now the assistant athletic director for Northwest ISD, said Ingram’s selflessness will be something he always remembers.

“Gage was the epitome of dependability,” Curran said. “We never had to ask him to do anything because he was always a step ahead. Gage always thought about others before himself, and he took great pride in taking care of everyone in our program. He was simply just a great young man.”

While the public is welcome at the service, electronic devices are prohibited during the event. The district will also be enforcing a clear bag policy. Clear totes and small clutches are the only bags allowed in the stadium.

For information about seating, parking, admissions and other policies for the service, visit Northwest ISD’s News & Events website.