
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Lt. Cmdr. Erik Kristensen enjoyed reading poetry and spending time at the beach in a pair of Birkenstocks sandals.
Though the 33-year-old Navy SEAL was well over 6 feet tall, his mother called him a “big puppy.”
“He was a very, very laid back young man,” said Suzanne “Sam” Kristensen.
Kristensen, of San Diego, was among 16 troops killed June 28 in Afghanistan’s Kunar province when their transport helicopter was shot down while attempting to rescue missing SEALs.
One missing SEAL was later rescued, two have been found dead and the fate of a fourth was unknown.
Kristensen, a gifted writer and quick learner, graduated with honors from the Naval Academy in 1997. He was a member of SEAL Team Ten based in Virginia Beach.
He joined the Navy in the footsteps of his father, retired Rear Adm. Edward K....