Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad R. Regelin was an explosive ordnance disposal technician stationed at Naval Base San Diego. The 24-year-old grew up in the small Northern California town of Cottonwood. It was in the nearby hamlet of Anderson that Scott and Shirene Regelin were informed of their son's death January 2nd in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Upon hearing the news, Mrs. Regelin wrote on her Facebook page:
Chad's brother, 31-year-old Justin Regelin, told the Anderson Valley Post that his little brother had called the family just an hour before he was killed.
The close-knit Regelin family recently celebrated the accomplishments of Petty Officer 1st Class Regelin. The USO named him its 2011 "Sailor of the Year" for his heroic actions in disposing of explosives. Justin Regelin told the Anderson Valley Post that while his parents and siblings traveled to Washington D.C. in October for the celebratory banquet, Chad did not attend. He had already been called back to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty. He died less than three months later.
