Goolsby identified as missing sailor

Editors note: We offer our deepest condolences at the sad and tragic loss of Ethan Goolsby. May the Lord watch over the Goolsby family during this time of sorrow.

Following a 50-hour search, as reported on Dec. 14, U.S. Navy officials Monday publicly identified a sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who was lost at sea after going overboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

The sailor was identified to be 20-year-old Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Ethan Garrett Goolsby of Texas, according to the Navy, who was just three days into a deployment. His family was notified before the search stopped.

Goolsby’s father, Kelly Goolsby, in a Facebook post said the carrier’s commander, Capt. Eric Anduze, called on Saturday and said his son was considered “dead, lost at sea.”

Goolsby was the grandson of Dimmitt resident and Castro County Commissioner Michael Goolsby.

Search and rescue efforts began around 7:30 a.m., Dec. 10, when a lookout aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier spotted what appeared to be a person in the water, according to Navy officials.

Search efforts from the San Diego-based carrier and five other vessels concluded at sunset on Saturday. Navy crews and the U.S. Coast Guard searched more than 607 square nautical miles for more than 55 hours off the coast of Southern California.

"The loss of our sailor is felt deeply by all on board," said Capt. Eric Anduze, commanding officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt. "The entire Theodore Roosevelt team sends our deepest condolences to the family of our missing shipmate."

Goolsby reported to the USS Theodore Roosevelt in July after his initial training as an aviation ordnanceman in Pensacola, Florida. He was promoted to his current rank on Sept. 16.

“We are grateful for the search and recovery efforts related to us by the U.S. Navy,” Kelly Goolsby wrote. “We remain hopeful that they will continue to search for our only son’s remains. The family would like to have his body recovered so that a proper burial can be held in his honor.”

According to his Facebook post concerning his son, Kelly Goolsby said his son a “kind heart, warm sense of humor” and was “very proud of the U.S. Navy and the service he was providing to our country. The U.S. Navy helped make him into a more self-assured, thoughtful, and diligent young man. He aspired to one day become a U.S. Navy Officer and we take solace that he died while engaged in the career that he envisioned for his future.”

It remains unclear what led to Goolsby’s disappearance. He was last seen on board between 7 and 7:15 a.m. Thursday for morning quarters after working the night shift. The search began about 15 minutes later when a lookout “spotted what appeared to be a person in the water,” according to a Navy statement. The carrier immediately launched three search-andrescue helicopters and a rigidhull, inflatable boat in response.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego on Dec. 7 for an exercise at sea ahead of its second deployment of the year, according to USNI News. The ship is set to change its homeport from San Diego to Bremerton, Washington, for an overhaul in the summer of 2021, then return to San Diego on Aug. 1.