Florida times union article

Memorials held for Mayport sailors
The three died Sept. 25 when their Seahawk helicopter crashed.
By JIM SCHOETTLER, The Times-Union They loved life. They loved flight. They loved their country.
Three Mayport sailors who perished in a Seahawk helicopter during a training mission off North Carolina 10 days ago were remembered Monday as men of courage, happiness and passion.
Lt. Rob Elortegui, 31, could make people laugh in an instant and beamed whenever he talked about being a Navy pilot. He shared his heart with so many, such as proposing to his girlfriend in August while flying over Jacksonville Beach as friends held up a spray-painted sheet asking for her hand. He learned to fly the small plane just for the occasion.
"He was my best friend. He was everything I could ever want or ask for, someone to share the rest of my life with," said Sara Williams, 26, his fiance. "He was going to be coming home so soon."
Lt. Thomas "Nick" Brantley, 27, proudly spoke of growing up on a North Carolina farm, cherished his wife Mary and could never stop thinking about flying.
"It was to the point that he and his wife would be driving around and he'd pull the car over and watch the planes go by, back before he became a pilot," said Lt. Bill Wellman, a fellow pilot with the "Swamp Foxes" Helicopter Anti-submarine Light Wing (HSL) 44.
Third Class Petty Officer Nestor Oterolebron, 27, commanded respect and took his job as an aviation warfare systems operator very seriously.
"Just by looking at him and the way he carried himself, it made you want to get off your butt and do something," Wellman said.
The men were memorialized in a private service Monday at Mayport Naval Station and later at another service for Elortegui in a Southside church.
Communication with their helicopter was lost during deck landing qualifications on Sept. 25. and search efforts were called off the next day. The bodies have not been recovered and a cause for the crash remains under investigation. While their mates mourn, they also know the risk every aviator faces.
"It's tough, especially because you keep thinking about the last seconds. What happened? What were they going through?" Wellman said. "When something like this hits as close to home as it does, it really causes you to think about your own mortality."
A blog established as a tribute to Elortegui is filled with accolades and fond memories. The Jacksonville University graduate is a native of Venezuela.
"There hasn't been a moment that's gone by since I met you when I didn't feel grateful and safe knowing you had my back," wrote one person.
"You were always positive, upbeat, full of energy and fun to be around. Thank you for your courage and service to our country," wrote another.
Elortegui's mother, Mildred, wrote of her sadness and her pride.
"At this moment I do have two reasons to soothe my grief," she wrote. "One is that you gave your life performing the job you loved and the other is that God has already given you a very special place in heaven next to him."
Brantley, a Virginia Tech graduate and NASCAR lover, was recognized by his colleagues as a natural born leader, Wellman said.
"The people who worked for him and with him would have walked across fire if he asked them to," Wellman said.
Oterolebron was a native of Puerto Rico. No other information was available about him.