The Maine Army National Guard is paying tribute to a Presque Isle fisherman lost at sea off Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Staff Sgt. Freeman Short was among seven crewmen aboard the fishing vessel Lily Jean who were lost at sea when it sank off Cape Ann on January 30.
Short was an infantryman with Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment – Mountain.
He joined the Maine Army National Guard in December 2012 as an mountain infantryman.
During his service, he attended Basic Military Mountaineering School, trained with U.S. allies in Montenegro and deployed to the Horn of Africa in 2021, serving in Djibouti and Somalia.
Short earned multiple awards, including the Ram’s Head Device, Army Commendation Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2022 and has been posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.
“He was exactly what a Mountain Infantryman should be and more,” said Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Dyment, platoon sergeant.
“He was one of the hardest-working and most dedicated individuals I have ever had the privilege of leading,” Dyment added. “Watching him continue to grow personally and professionally over time made myself and others in the unit extremely proud of him.”
“He had an extremely genuine personality which was capitalized by his glowing smile, extreme respect toward others, and his vast intellectual vocabulary,” said SFC Nate McCray, platoon sergeant. “I looked forward to watching him continue to excel and lead troops in our platoon. Most of all, he was our brother and a valued member of our team.”
