Among the casualties in the Saturday helicopter crash in Afghanistan was Aaron Vaughn, a Navy SEAL based in Virginia Beach.
His widow, Kimberly Vaughn, and his parents spoke with the Today Show from McLean, Virginia.
“After 9/11, Aaron told me and his mother he wanted to be a SEAL, and he said he wanted to ever since he was a little boy,’’ his father Billy Vaughn said. “He felt, and so did the other members of his team, that the very existence of our republic is at stake, and because of that, Aaron was willing to give his life.’’
Aaron Vaughn was a member of the elite military unit SEAL Team Six. Vaughn was aboard a Chinook helicopter carrying SEALs and other personnel from a firefight in eastern Afghanistan when insurgent fire took the aircraft down, killing all aboard.
His wife, Kimberly, is a former Washington Redskins cheerleader. She met Aaron in Guam while on a USO tour. The two have two children together.
"As much as our men are gone away from their families, over hundreds of days over the years, that we make the most of our time together and we were blessed that we could be together for the birth of our children," Kimberly Vaughn said. "Aaron was an amazing father. And I’m proud that I will get to carry on his legacy through our children."
You can watch the full interview below.
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