Local surgeon, artist creates memorial for Shreveport Navy SEALs
By KTBS staff
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — When visitors walk along the Shreveport riverfront, they are encouraged to stop at a granite memorial honoring two Navy SEALs killed in action 15 years ago.
The tribute recognizes Rob Reeves and Jonas Kelsall, both Shreveport natives who died in August 2011 when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.
The two SEALs were en route to rescue Army Rangers pinned down by Taliban fighters. Their deaths were part of a mission that remains one of the deadliest single-day losses for U.S. special operations forces. Today, their legacy is etched in stone overlooking the Red River.
Reeves and Kelsall grew up in Shreveport, where they swam in the river, played on local ballfields and excelled at Caddo Magnet High School. After graduation, both men joined the U.S. Navy and earned the elite SEAL designation. Friends and family describe them as among “the best we have.” Determined that their story would not fade, a group of supporters rallied to create a permanent memorial in their honor.
Leading that effort was retired cardiovascular surgeon and artist Jim Ciaravella, a Vietnam-era veteran who once served at Andersen Air Force Base. Ciaravella said he felt called to act after Kelsall, whom he knew through his son, was killed in action.
“I wanted to do something,” he said. “I can paint and I can sculpt.”
What followed was a community-wide effort, with vendors donating materials and services to ensure the granite monument reflected the excellence of the men it honors.
The memorial includes the Navy SEAL ethos, beginning with the words: “When in times of war there is a special need for a special breed of man,” now permanently engraved for future generations.
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