Robert Dean Stethem (November 17, 1961 – June 15, 1985) was a
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Seabee
, colors =
, mascot = Bumblebee
, battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philippin ...
diver who was murdered by
Hezbollah terrorists during the
hijacking of the commercial airliner he was aboard,
TWA Flight 847
Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was a flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demand ...
.
[''Thinking of Robert Dean Stethem''](_blank)
June 13, 2010 New York Sun
''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...
editorial At the time of his death, his Navy rating was
Steelworker Second Class (SW2). He was posthumously promoted to
Master Chief Constructionman (CUCM).
Early life
Stethem was born in
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...
,
but grew up in
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
, and
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Located south-southeast of Washington, D.C., Waldorf is part of the Southern Maryland region. It is an urban area, with a popul ...
. He was one of four children. His father, Richard Stethem, retired from the Navy as a Senior Chief after 20 years, continuing to work for it as a civilian afterwards. His mother, Patricia, served in the Navy before raising her family, continuing to serve in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces afterwards. His brother, Chief Boatswain’s Mate Kenneth Stethem was a Navy SEAL and brother Diver First Class Patrick Stethem served in Underwater Construction Team One for 10 years – the same unit in which Robert served. Stethem had one sister, Sheryl Sierralta.
He graduated from
Thomas Stone High School
Thomas Stone High School is a public high school in the eastern section of Waldorf, Maryland, United States, administered by the Charles County Board of Education. The school colors are blue and gold and its mascot is the cougar. It was named a ...
in 1980, where he played defensive back on the varsity and junior varsity
football teams. He also played Little League baseball.
Stethem joined the Navy shortly after graduating, reporting for duty on May 4, 1981.
Navy career
In the Navy, Stethem was a
Seabee
, colors =
, mascot = Bumblebee
, battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philippin ...
Steelworker assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 62 in
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolit ...
. He served multiple tours on
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands of ...
and
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
. Later, Stethem became a 2nd Class Navy Diver and was assigned to the Navy's Underwater Construction Team One in
Little Creek, Virginia
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
.
TWA Flight 847
On June 14, 1985, Stethem was returning from an assignment in
Nea Makri, Greece, aboard TWA Flight 847 when it was hijacked by terrorists of the
Lebanese organization Hezbollah. The terrorists held 39 people hostage for 17 days, demanding the release of 766 Lebanese and
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
terrorists held by
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
When their demands were not met, Stethem, as a member of the U.S. military, was targeted, beaten, and tortured. Finally, the terrorists shot him in the temple and dumped his body onto the
tarmac at the
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
airport.
One of the terrorists,
Mohammed Ali Hammadi, was arrested two years later in
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...
. He was tried and convicted of Stethem's murder and sentenced to life in prison but was released in 2005 after serving 19 years. Three others,
Imad Mugniyah,
Hassan Izz-Al-Din, and
Ali Atwa
Ali Atwa ( ar, علي عطوة; – October 2021) was a Lebanon, Lebanese national and member of the Islamism, Islamist organization Hezbollah. Atwa was also known as ''Ammar Mansour Bouslim'' and ''Hassan Rostom Salim''.
Ali was wanted by the ...
, were eventually indicted for their involvement in the incident. In 2002, they were added to the
FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
The FBI Most Wanted Terrorists is a list created and first released on October 10, 2001, with the authority of United States President George W. Bush, following the September 11 attacks on the United States. Initially, the list contained 22 of ...
list. On February 13, 2008, Mugniyah was killed in an explosion in
Damascus, Syria
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
. On September 21, 2019, an unnamed terrorist hijacker was arrested while disembarking a cruise ship that had ported in Greece. His identity came up as being wanted by Germany during a passport check.
Awards and decorations
Stethem was posthumously awarded the
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
and
Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
.
He is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
, Section 59, Grave 430, near other American victims of international terrorism.
On August 24, 2010, in Yokosuka, Japan, on board the ship named after him – the
USS ''Stethem'' (DDG-63) – Stethem was made an honorary
Master Chief Constructionman (CUCM) by order of the
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. His brother, Kenneth, accepted the certificate and decorations on behalf of the Stethem family.
On April 24, 2015, Secretary of the Navy
Ray Mabus
Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. (; born October 11, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previously served as the State Auditor ...
presented the
Prisoner of War medal
The Prisoner of War Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 8 November 1985. The United States Code citation for the POW Medal statute is .
The ...
to Stethem's parents.
Honors
The following are named after Stethem:
* The Robert D. Stethem Memorial Sports Complex, Waldorf, Maryland
Robert D. Stethem Memorial Sports Complex
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is part of the Was ...
. Retrieved September 29,2 013.
* The Robert D. Stethem Educational Center, a vocational school in Pomfret, Maryland
Pomfret is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 514. There are five properties in the area that are on the National Register of Historic Places. The origins of the sett ...
* Robert D. Stethem Barracks, Training Support Center Hampton Roads
Training Support Center Hampton Roads is the current name of the facility in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, which was long-known as "FTC Dam Neck". It is the home of the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic of the United States Navy.
History ...
, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
* Stethem Memorial Navy Lodge, Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolit ...
* Headquarters building and a street on the base, Port Hueneme Naval Construction Training Center, near Oxnard, California
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
* USS ''Stethem'' (DDG-63), an Aegis
The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...
Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
The ''Arleigh Burke'' class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for ...
, commissioned 1995
In popular culture
A scene from the movie ''The Delta Force
''The Delta Force'' is a 1986 American action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin (in his final film appearance) as leaders of an elite group of Special Operations Forces personnel based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force unit. Directe ...
'' shows a U.S. Navy diver being beaten, tortured, murdered and his body being dumped onto the tarmac. This scene is based on Stethem's terrorist murder.
Stethem was portrayed by Steven Eckholdt in the 1988 TV movie '' The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story''.
See also
* Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking (also known as airplane hijacking, skyjacking, plane hijacking, plane jacking, air robbery, air piracy, or aircraft piracy, with the last term used within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States) is the unlawfu ...
*
References
External links
Robert Dean Stethem
ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stethem, Robert Dean
1961 births
1985 deaths
1985 murders in Asia
Seabees
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
American people murdered abroad
People murdered in Lebanon
Deaths by firearm in Lebanon
People from Waterbury, Connecticut
People from Virginia Beach, Virginia
People from Waldorf, Maryland