Navy Gold Star Coordinator Support

In Honor of our True life Hero Erik Jr.

Thank you for being part of all of our lives 

For showing us the definition of determination and of never giving up! You are so missed Everyday..

You will forever live in all of our hearts. We love you beyond words. mom.dad.keith..nicole.sadierose and all ur family and friends..Fly  High Baby E. Thank u for ur service to the United States Navy

Born in Boston, MA, Gerald W. Turner, Jr, grew up in Maryland, the youngest and only brother of five.  In 2018 following Bootcamp, he was assigned to the USS Peralta, in San Diego where he displayed amazing work ethics. Recognized out of 350 sailors as Lava Dog of the Month, December 2019, cited for "outstanding performance…a motivated, positive, and promising young sailor...a bright soul in the room, first to volunteer for the toughest jobs.", his Commander wrote.  He enjoyed the camaraderie of his shipmates he fondly referred to as his “brothers” and spent many of those days being a protective and supportive big brother as he was all of 21.  Deployed in January 2020, he was later promoted to Gunner's Mate, 3rd Class, training with the Weapon's Department, responsible for operating and performing maintenance on all weapons onboard.  While "Gerry" manned the ship's helm, navigating the East China Sea, his Commander asked how deployment was going, he could’ve said anything, he impressed his Commander by simply saying, “It is fine. We’re all going to be just fine”.

Gerry, aka JJ, was a fun-loving, prankster who laughed A LOT.  He loved music, gaming, but mostly eating.  He wasn’t a complainer; he lived life.  He was supportive, encouraging, and would do anything for you without needing to be asked.  He was a strong, level-headed young man with character and conviction who lovingly helped his mother and his sisters a much as he could.  He was an amazing son, brother, uncle, and friend!

Never Forgotten. Always Remembered.

My son, Ensign Samuel S. Cleghorn, was taken from us way too soon. On October 3, 2020, a drunk driver ended his physical life. This person spent 10  years in the Air Force. My son was commissioned May 1, 2020 and had been at his assigned base for 6 weeks.  All his life, he dreamed of serving the United States of America in the Navy. He was dedicated, loyal and proud to serve this nation, if only for a short time.

Sam was the glue that held his friends and military colleagues together. He always reached out to study or enjoy leisure time with friends and built strong relationships among everyone.  His smile was always the same; big, bright and often! His eyes twinkled every time he smiled. His love for family was deep.  Sam experienced life to its fullest by sailing, scuba diving, target shooting, and playing video games. As a child he experienced every sport. It's as if he knew somehow, he needed to enjoy each and every day as if it were his last.

He graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Criminology, a minor in History and at the same time, completed his Naval studies at Jacksonville University.  He fought hard to become a Commissioned Navy Officer. Our hearts are heavy as we navigate our days without him. At the same time, I'm grateful for his time on earth and proud to have been his mom.

Growing up, Brian was a typical boy doing lots of crazy boy stuff, but always made sure others were taken care off and safe. He loved playing football and softball during his high school years. He enjoyed hunting and fishing with friends and also enjoyed hanging out with his family. He loved going camping with his parents and sister. We had such amazing times. After completing high school, Brian went through firefighter training at TEEX in College Station, an extension of Texas A&M, yes Gig 'em, as this was something he felt he would enjoy, be good and and would be able to help others. A year after he proudly graduated and passed his EMT exam, he was still a firefighter rookie without a job. It was then that he made the decision to take care of his family and his country and proudly joined the Navy. Short of being in the Navy for 2 years, at the age of 22, he unexpectedly passed away leaving his parents, his beloved sister, his wife, his two daughters and his baby girl to be born within 3 weeks after he passed. He was so excited to be there for his third daughters birth as he was not able to be there for the birth of his two other daughters. We are so sad that he is missing all the joy a parent experiences as we watch our children grow. In all this sadness we do know that some of his organs saved someone else's child, which makes us even more proud. Brian is our Hero forever, he is dearly missed, but he will always be loved and he will never forgotten.

Born in northeast Texas as the oldest of three children, LT Weyand earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Trinity University in San Antonio in 2013. She also was a 4 year starter on the softball team. For the next couple of years, she worked as an EMT in North Texas. In 2016, she moved to Washington, D.C. to complete a joint Masters of Public Health (Global Environmental Studies) and Master of Science in Health Sciences (Physician Assistant Studies) at George Washington University. The following year, she joined the Navy through the Health Collegiate Scholarship Program. LT Weyand’s first duty station was with the Third Law Enforcement Battalion, US Marines in Okinawa, Japan. In 2021, she moved back to San Antonio to complete an Emergency Medicine Fellowship through the Army-Baylor Doctorate of Science Program. Graduating in December 2022, she worked in the BAMC Department of Emergency Medicine as a staff emergency medicine physician assistant (EMPA) and Assistant Professor/Faculty in the EMPA DSc program. LT Weyand currently serves as the emergency trauma physician assistant on the ERSS team at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL. In her spare time, she volunteered for Chicago Street Medicine, providing free medical care to the homeless. She was next to deploy to San Antonio and assume a faculty position in the Emergency Medicine Fellowship through the Army-Baylor Doctorate of Science Program. Unfortunately, she passed due to Large Cell Lymphoma on May 24, 2026. The three things that stand out about Lindsay's life in general were, first, a love of learning and adventure. She took all the training she could in the Navy and locally, also at the bases where she was stationed. She got scuba-certified in Oki, went on joint training with the South Korean military, volunteered to get tased, took a Jungle Medicine course, achieved the Fleet Marine Medal, and so much more. She went to Haiti once during GWU as a medical volunteer, and I don't even remember who that was with. Still, I do remember they had to helicopter evacuate because rebels had taken control of all the roads. The second main theme of Lindsay's life was her friends who became family. She was very very good at helping, listening, caring for, and encouraging people. She loved little kids. She had "family" from her softball teams, college roommates, GWU program, Madagascar, ODS, Oki, BAMC, and of course Chicago. And third was her great love for her dog, Duke. She adopted him after she returned from Oki, and he was the #1 priority in her life after that. She spoiled him and loved him utterly, exercising him regularly, taking him hiking and camping all over the country, visiting friends and cuddling him. He loved her utterly also, and is probably still expecting her to come home.