Joshua Kaleb Watson was a 23-year-old Ensign in the United States Navy who was killed during the December 6, 2019, shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. A recent United States Naval Academy graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a former captain of the Academy’s rifle team, Watson had reported to NAS Pensacola a few weeks before the attack for flight training.

On the morning of December 6 a 21-year-old Second Lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force opened fire in a classroom, killing three U.S. Navy personnel, including Watson, and injuring eight others. Watson was shot five times but managed to exit the building and give first responders information about the shooter’s location and actions; those efforts were credited with saving many lives. He was taken to Baptist Hospital, where he later died.

The shooter was killed by responding law enforcement and the FBI investigated the incident as an act of terrorism, citing the shooter’s background, his legal purchase of the firearm, and his social media posts containing anti-American and extremist content. Watson was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart.

If anyone knew Joshua or has information about his time at the Academy or NAS Pensacola, please share what you remember.