The Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce will produce a fundraising event for the family of Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Louis Langlais from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the State Street Farmers Market.
The Chamber of Commerce is working with the Santa Barbara Navy League, The Farmers Market, Davies and The Bank of Santa Barbara to raise money for the surviving wife and sons of the local Navy SEAL recently killed in Afghanistan.
Langlais, 44, leader of a Navy SEAL team, was one of 30 Americans who lost their lives when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan on Aug. 6. Langlais was a member of the SEALs’ elite Team 6, the secretive unit that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. Langlais was a graduate of Santa Barbara High School.
“Lou Langlais was a Navy SEAL, a precision parachute jumper and a rock climber who scaled cliffs, sometimes without a rope,” wrote Kenneth Weiss of the Los Angeles Times. “With a striking ability to suppress fear, he was known for leading his comrades into dangerous situations with a sense of calm, confidence and even fun.”
Over a 25-year career, Langlais rose to become a troop leader in the Navy SEALs’ elite Team 6. It was to be his last tour in Afghanistan before settling down to become a SEAL trainer.
“He was a hero among the SEALs, the best that our country has,” said David Griffith, a rock-climbing instructor and close friend since the two were in middle school in Santa Barbara. Until a memorial Thursday, Griffith said, “I never realized how revered he was. He never bragged. The SEALs don’t talk much.”
Langlais also was an attentive husband and doting father of two young boys, calling home while deployed in Afghanistan to check in about even the littlest things.
“Even though he was a bad ass in his job, he was tender and funny with the kids,” said Anya Langlais, his wife of a dozen years. “He’s not what you’d imagine a Navy SEAL to be.”
“We all want to honor the SEALS and our fallen Santa Barbara hero,” said Steve Cushman, president of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce. “We encourage everyone to come out to the Farmers Market on Oct. 4 and make a donation to the Lou Langlais Memorial Fund.”
— Steve Cushman is president of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce.
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