Michael Meoli US Navy Seal/San Diego Fire

Retired Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Michael "Mike" Meoli passed away on 14 November 2024 in the intensive care unit of the City Hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, his adopted second country. His death was the result of severe head injuries sustained in a motor vehicle crash in that city several days earlier.


We are humbled and honored to work with The Weatherman Foundation. They were responsible for getting Mike Meoli's earthly body from Ukraine to U.S. Forging Pathways between Lives in Peril and Critical Aid.

Thank you to LAX Airport Police, Fire, Customs and Border, TSA, and Turkish Air for your support on the flightline. The men and women of our Southern California fire and law enforcement departments who took our calls and rallied together to support Mike's friends and family as he made his final journey home last night to San Diego for burial.

Every overpass from Los Angeles International Airport to El Cajon was lined with his fellow firefighters and law enforcement brothers, all coming out to pay their respects to him and his family.

As we traveled through Southern California, we felt honored to be part of planning this tribute and to witness such an outpouring of support, especially on a day like Thanksgiving.

Thank you to Patriot Guard Riders who escorted us the entire way!

Mike was believer and he put his faith in Christ and walked in faith boldly daily. When asked how he was doing, he would always reply: “One day closer to heaven.”

Mike's untiring efforts, positive attitude, and indomitable spirit left a lasting impression on everyone he met. In the words of his good friend and mentor, former US Surgeon General, Vice Admiral (ret) Richard Carmona: "Mike may be gone, but he will never be forgotten."

Mike graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training with Class 79. During his 20 years in the SEAL teams, he was assigned to UDT 11, UDT 12, SEAL Team Three, SEAL Team 17, and COMNAVSPECWARGRU One, serving in both the active and reserve components of Naval Special Warfare. In addition to his duties as a SEAL operator in direct action combat missions, Chief Petty Officer Meoli provided Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training to the militaries of a number of countries around the world, including Sri Lanka, South Korea, Pakistan, Iraq, and Ukraine.

In his civilian life, Mike was a Firefighter/Paramedic in the San Diego Fire and Rescue Department for over 40 years until his retirement in 2018. Working in that capacity, he
was one of the originators of the Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) team, which still provides tactical medical support to the San Diego Police Department and federal SWAT teams. As featured in the TOCCC book "Tell Them Yourself," Mike was instrumental in bringing about the introduction of lifesaving TCCC techniques to the State of California and the San Diego County Law Enforcement and Tactical EMS communities. He was a meticulous record-keeper and documented numerous law enforcement officers' lives being saved with TCCC interventions.

When Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, Mike was training the Ukrainian military in TCCC and he fell in love with the Ukrainian people and their cause. He was passionate about providing the Ukrainians with TCCC training and traveled to that country repeatedly over the ensuing years. After the 2022 full Russian invasion, Mike spent over 70% of his time in Ukraine. At the time of his death, Mike was the Medical Director for TCCC training for the Ukrainian military.

Working through the auspices of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), Mike established a network of twelve TCCC training centers throughout Ukraine. Mike personally trained his cadre of instructors and built strong bonds with Ukrainian medics, physicians, and soldiers. By the time of his death, the NAEMT TCCC training network that he had helped to build had been responsible for training over 14,000 Ukrainian medics and soldiers. His passion for helping the Ukrainian military to save the lives of their combat wounded was invaluable to their military effort against the Russians.

Mike's medical training was responsible for saving many hundreds of Ukrainian lives in that conflict. This TCCC training program has been recognized in medical publications - and intercepted Russian documents - as a strategic factor in the protracted Russo-Ukrainian War because of its contributions to preserving the Ukraine military's fighting force.

Mike will be laid to rest at Miramar National Cemetery next week.