The March Humboldt Hero is Kevin Richard Ebbert, who is being honored posthumously for his service.
Ebbert was born Jan. 23, 1980, and grew up in Arcata. As a boy, he loved backpacking, rafting, drawing and the outdoors. As a young adult, he played ultimate frisbee, loved learning, and was an avid reader and an accomplished musician.
Ebbert grew into a caring man who practiced his values and was committed to helping others. He graduated from Arcata High School, received a bachelor’s degree in music from UC Santa Cruz, and became an active-duty Navy SEAL and corpsman. He hoped to build on his training as a medic to pursue a career as a physician.
On Dec. 31, 2011, Ebbert married Ursula (Jansson) Ebbert, also an Arcata native. The couple shared a love of the outdoors, purchased their first home in Virginia Beach, Virginia and enjoyed many family gatherings.
Ebbert was deployed twice to Afghanistan, and as a medic saved many lives there. During his first deployment, he repeatedly ran into fire to pull to safety or work on men that had been injured. He received a field promotion and one of his two Bronze Stars with Valor for his actions. He set up a medical clinic for the local villagers, most of whom had never received any medical care in their life. His way was not pushy or abrupt.
His teammates said he “was a gentle soul that was tough as nails.”
Ebbert died in action in Afghanistan on Nov. 24, 2012. During his second deployment, the element he was leading was ambushed from above. Ebbert held many specialties and being the radioman was one of them. Without regard for his own safety, he stepped out from behind cover to radio coordinates for air support. It was then that he was hit by a sniper. The firefight continued but Kevin had been successful in getting the location of his men back to base where air and ground support were able to extract all without further loss of life.
The mission was set to be Ebbert’s last and he was due to return to the states within weeks. He had received an early out in order to attend Old Dominion University in Virginia where he had been accepted to continue his education to become a full medical doctor. Many commanders, doctors and officers from NATO nations as well as other branches of the military offered their comments on his medical abilities and their sorrow for his loss.
If you go
What: Monthly Humboldt Heroes celebration.
When: Noon today
Where: 537 7th St., Eureka. Social distancing and masks recommended.
Nominate a “Humboldt Hero”: “Humboldt Heroes” normally honors local veterans on the last Friday of the month. If you’d like to nominate a local veteran for recognition, or help sponsor the ongoing program, contact State Farm insurance agent Scott Hammond at 707-444-2504.