Trying to keep up

Navy investigates death of Clayton sailor in Ghana
Father says his 35-year-old so 'had taken to life in the Navy'

By ANN HARDIE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/03/08

Lonnie L. Davis Jr., of Riverdale, known to his family as "LJ," entered the Navy almost a year ago to the day. He never made his first year anniversary.

On New Year's Day, Davis, 35, and a fellow shipmate were found dead in a hotel room in the West African Nation of Ghana, according to a statement released Thursday by the Navy.
Family photo
Lonnie Davis Jr., 35, had almost completed his first year of Navy service when and a shipmate were found dead in a hotel room in Ghana.

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What killed the sailors remains a mystery. Their bodies reportedly were found at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, a luxury hotel in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, about 18 miles from the Tema Naval Base. The Navy is investigating their deaths.

The sailors had been permanently assigned to the USS Fort McHenry of Little Creek, VA, which is on a seven-month voyage through the Gulf of Guinea.

Davis died while on 24-hour leave with several buddies, said his father, Lonnie L. Davis Sr. of Lithonia, who had been briefed by Navy officials Thursday.

"As I understand it, they went onshore to celebrate New Year's. The morning of New Year's, they tried to get my son up. He was nonresponsive," Davis said. "They rushed him to the local hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival."

He said that Navy officials confirmed that a second sailor had died but would not disclose details.

In the statement released Thursday, the Navy identified the sailor as Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Brendan Mack, 22, of Warren, MI.

Davis's body was being transported Thursday to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. Army command post in southwest Germany, where an autopsy will be performed, his father said.

"I don't have all the answers of what happened," his father said. "I don't want to say it is not foul play. I don't know. We want to allow the Navy to conduct their investigation and we want to have faith in them.

"Speaking for the family, they owe us answers as to what happened," he said.

Davis characterized his son as the "jewel of the family who loved kids," especially his own, 14-year-old Devante, who lives with his mother in Wichita, KS.

"My son was a very positive, outgoing type person —very family oriented," Davis said.

His son, the oldest of three boys, enlisted in the Navy after a six-month stint in the warehouse of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America in Peachtree City, Davis said.

"He was trying to stabilize his life," Davis said. "He knew he needed a sound foundation. He looked at the Navy as an opportunity to do that."

Davis said his son worked on the engines of the ship, currently traveling through the Gulf of Guinea to train local law enforcement on maritime security.

"He had just sent emails of himself having a good time in different areas around Ghana," Davis said. "All the emails had pictures of African kids."

Davis said his son had taken to life in the Navy. "He was 34 years old when he signed up —a lot of his shipmates looked up to him. He was enjoying it and said he might make a go of it as a 20-year career."

Davis Jr.'s body will return to Georgia Sunday or Monday, his father said. He will be buried at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. The Navy conducted its own service on board the USS Fort McHenry.

Davis Sr., who retired from the Air Force after 24 years of service, said the call about his son's death was one he had long feared. The strangeness surrounding it has brought an agony he had not anticipated.

"This is hard," his father said. "From the day he went into the military, I tried to prepare myself for this. My son didn't die in combat but he died while serving his country in uniform."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.