ALEXANDRIA, VA, U.S.A.
U.S. NAVY
LTCOL RETIRED
09/16/2013, WASHINGTON DC NAVY YARD, U.S.A.
They were patriots, veterans, mothers, grandfathers, engineers … Americans.
We remember the 12 victims who tragically lost their lives on Monday morning, September 16, 2013 at the Washington Navy Yard. They were hardworking, loving family people who are greatly missed by their loved ones and mourned by the nation.
Gerald Read, 58, is one of the many veterans killed during the tragic shooting at the U.S. Navy Yard, Washington, DC. He was a family man who dedicated much of his life to studying and service to his country.
He attended Indiana University, Indiana, PA. Gerald and his wife Cathy met while in college at Indiana University. Cathy described her husband as, “totally reliable, read, really, solid.” He was passionate about his family, life and his job.
During his time in the military Read earned two master’s degrees. Cathy Read, Gerald’s wife, recounted his love of reading and his love of and knowledge of the Civil War. Gerald Read enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1977 and served in the military until 2006.
The 58-year-old information assurance specialist with the Navy Sea Systems Command had spent much of his career in military law enforcement and information systems management, serving in South Korea, and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army.
For the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he served at Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County, VA, working with the U.S. Army Materiel Command, supervising efforts to supply and maintain forces deployed overseas.
Gerald Read is survived by his wife Cathy, his daughter Jessica, three grandchildren. He helped rescue animals and cared for three beloved labs, an Irish Setter, and two cats.