“Jared joined the United States Navy because he loved this country, the people who live here, and the freedoms we all have. Jared was incredibly brave and determined, with a fierce sense of humor.” — A family statement Day, 28, of Taylorsville, was one of two Navy SEALs from Utah killed when a helicopter carrying 38 U.S. And Afghan forces went down in Wardak Province, shot down by insurgents' rocket-propelled grenade. The Cottonwood High graduate had joined the Navy in 2002 and had served throughout the world. He served as a tactical communicator for the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group, his family said.