#VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Kevin S. Bushell

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Kevin S. Bushell. Kevin served aboard the USS John S. McCain.

Kevin was born in May 1991 as one of six children to parents Karen and Thomas Bushell. It was a long-time dream of his to travel and serve in the Navy and soon after graduating high school, he met with a recruiter. In 2011, Kevin joined the service and headed to Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois for boot camp. His first duty station was in Rota, Spain. This is where he met and married his wife Jennifer, and together they moved to his next station in Yokosuka, Japan.

Kevin served as an electronics technician, Petty Officer 2^nd Class, aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain. While conducting routine training exercises, the ship collided with the Liberia-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC, east of the Straits of Malacca in Singapore. Kevin and nine of his fellow sailors died in the collision.

Kevin received multiple awards and decorations during his time serving in the Navy and was posthumously advanced to Petty Officer 1^st Class. He is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Graphic by Nikki Lumbre: Nikki is an undergraduate junior at The Catholic University of America studying Anthropology and Asian Studies.