A sailor gets sendoff as family, mates say goodbye

By Jaedda Armstrong

A "selfless leader," "humble server" and "admired co-worker" were some of the phrases used to describe a Navy command master chief who suddenly died aboard an aircraft carrier last weekend.

Hundreds gathered at the Oceana Naval Air Station Chapel on Saturday morning to pay their respects to Command Master Chief Jeffrey Garber.

Garber, 43, of Hemingford, Neb., was discovered unconscious in his quarters on the Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 20 during a deployment to the Middle East.

It is believed that he died of natural causes, said Mike Maus, a Navy spokesman. Tests are pending.

As command master chief of Carrier Air Wing 7 aboard the Eisenhower, Garber acted as the liaison between the enlisted sailors and the commissioned officers.

He dealt with all the issues sailors faced - both work-related and personal.

Cmdr. Scott Knapp said Garber always encouraged his sailors, whether he was offering advice on a college course or on marital problems.

"He had a heart for people," Knapp said.

Although they held the same position, Command Master Chief Bruce Pickinpaugh of the Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic said he idolized Garber.

"He set the bar. He made what we do look easy," Pickinpaugh said of Garber, a husband and father of three who enlisted in the Navy in 1983. "He was always there for us and for his sailors."

"A lot of iconic figures left us this week, and Jeff was one of them," said Force Master Chief Frederick Pharr, who worked with Garber aboard the Eisenhower. "He had a contagious smile, and had an openness to talk to anyone.

"He just genuinely cared about his sailors."

Jaedda Armstrong, (757) 222-5846, jaedda.armstrong@pilotonline.com