Megan Ernst and her two young children were eating dinner on Feb. 19, 2023, when four uniformed sailors and two Navy SEALs knocked on the front door of their Virginia Beach home.
“If they are at your door, there is no hope,” Ernst said, shaking her head as tears trailed down her cheeks.
Michael Ernst, chief special warfare operator, died in a training accident while performing a high-altitude, low-opening jump in Arizona. He was 36 and had been assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team 6, based at Virginia Beach’s Dam Neck Annex to Naval Air Station Oceana.
More than a year since her husband’s death, Megan Ernst said her focus is on healing her family and remembering her husband for more than the uniform he wore.
“First and foremost, he was a dad. He was my husband,” she said. “And he was a good, kind person.”
The couple met while attending college from 2004-08 in Ohio. They reconnected years later at a friend’s wedding, and in February 2013, Megan Ernst found herself visiting Hampton Roads. At the time, Michael Ernst was assigned to Virginia Beach-based SEAL Team 10.