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Family
donates Ensign John R. Elliot's class ring in his memory Bill and Muriel
Elliot of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., decided not to repair the ring,
letting it symbolize their broken hearts from the loss of their
son, a 2000 academy graduate and aspiring Navy pilot. The ring will
remind countless others of the tragic effects of drunken driving
as it sits on display at the Naval Academy museum. The Elliots
and their daughter Jennifer, 20, donated the ring to the academy
last night in a touching ceremony before more than 4,000 midshipmen
– Ensign Elliot's shipmates – in King Hall. "In a very
real way, John lives through all of you," Mr. Elliot said to
the Brigade of Midshipmen. "The things he stood for are the
things that all of you stand for." Those he served
with in the 24th Company remembered the toothy grin that often split
Ensign Elliot's face. His positive attitude inspired others to take
the worst the academy could dish out with a cheery disposition.
A systems engineering
major who played squash, Ensign Elliot served as a human education
resource officer, mentoring and counseling friends and classmates.
For Midshipman
1st Class Jason Manus, "Jumbo" -- Ensign Elliot's academy
nickname -- was a gentleman and a good friend who embodied the spirit
of the academy. "I'd want
to spend time with him anywhere in the world," said the 25-year-old
native of Franklin Lakes, N.J. "I'd go to war with him. I'm
definitely a better person for knowing him." Since his death
on Aug. 22, Ensign Elliot's parents have waged their own war against
drunken drivers. The night their
son died, Michael Pangle, 37, of Woodstown, N.J,. was arrested for
drunken driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal
limit. Less than three
hours later, though, a friend returned Mr. Pangle to his car, and
he got behind the wheel and plowed head-on into Ensign Elliot's
car. Mr. Pangle and
the ensign were killed. Ensign Elliot's girlfriend was critically
injured, but survived. Mr. Pangle's
friend, Kenneth W. Powell, 39, of Pennsville, N.J., has been charged
with vehicular homicide, manslaughter and aggravated assault. Through their
grief, the Elliots embarked on a crusade to fix the gap in New Jersey's
laws that allowed drunken drivers to return to their cars. "John's
Law" now authorizes police to impound vehicles of suspected
drunken drivers for up to 12 hours. After his death,
the Naval Academy Foundation established a memorial fund for character
excellence in his memory. Ensign Elliot
is buried at Hospital Point on the academy grounds. When the Elliots
visited his grave yesterday they found a pair of gold aviator wings
that had been placed on the headstone by an anonymous friend. His shipmates
visit his grave as well, in quiet moments when they need some of
his trademark mirth. Midshipman 1st Class Kristopher Carter of Cincinnati
stopped by three days ago, before he knew the Elliots were coming
for dinner. He'd had a rough day. He motivates
me to be more like he was," Midshipman Carter said. "Jumbo
always smiled."
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