Navy Seal Killed in Afghanistan has Bay Area Ties

A helicopter that was shot down by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan over the weekend claimed the lives of 31 American Special Forces, one of which was a man with ties to the Bay Area.

Thirty-six year old Kevin Houston was on-board the Chinook helicopter that crashed after the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, shot it down. While Houston was raised on the East Coast, his father, Arthur Houston, lives in San Jose.

Houston's family told NBC Bay Area News exclusively that, as early as the fifth grade, he knew he wanted to be a Navy Seal. Houston even practiced swimming with a knife in his mouth in an attempt to train. They say he was full of energy and always wanted to help others. His father says he wish he could trade places with his son.

"I just wish him well," Arthur Houston said. "He's my son and if I could trade places with him, I would trade. I'd have went there and let him stay here."

Houston's family from the Bay Area is making arrangements to go to the East Coast so that they can be there when his body is returned Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and three children, all who live in Virginia.

Contact Us