Tribute: . Navy Engineman 1st Class Theophilius Ansong

Theophilius Ansong spent the first 18 years of his life in Ghana but signed up to serve his new country soon after arriving in the U.S., his parents said.

It was all he ever wanted to do.

His uncle had been in the Ghanaian military and “ever since he came to this country, he wanted to join the force,” said his father, Nelson Ansong.

He joined the Navy because “he loved the sea,” said his mother, Charity Ohenewah.

Ansong, 34, of Bristol, Va., fell overboard while being lowered in a small boat from the USS San Antonio in the Gulf of Aden.

The Navy said Ansong was not found after searchers looked for more than 24 hours