About Val

Navy Lieutenant Valerie Cappelaere Delaney, 26, of Anacortes, Washington, and Ellicott City, Maryland, perished on March 11, 2013, when the Navy jet she was piloting crashed in Eastern Washington during a low-level flight mission. She served as an EA-6B Prowler pilot in Electronic Attack Squadron 129 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Her military decorations include the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and she was posthumously promoted to lieutenant.

Born Valerie Alice Cappelaere on May 14, 1986, she was the second of three daughters of Doreen and Patrice Cappelaere of Ellicott City. Val attended public schools in Howard County, graduating from Centennial High School with high honors in 2004 and lettering in soccer and lacrosse.

Proudly nominated by Congressman Elijah Cummings, Val earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy’s Class of 2009, arriving at Annapolis as a member of 17th Company and taking on the difficult major of aerospace engineering. She was instrumental in Navy Women’s Lacrosse rising from a club sport to an NCAA Division I competitive team. Her love for lacrosse and her teammates resulted in deep friendships, and she inspired and mentored many of them to pursue aviation with her same fearlessness and determination.

Upon graduation in May 2009, she was selected to be a naval aviator and pursue her dream of becoming a pilot. Initially training at NAS Pensacola, Florida, she moved to VT-28 at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, where she flew the T-34C for primary flight training. Val continued training at NAS Meridian, Mississippi, flying the T-45 on the road to becoming a jet pilot. She earned her Wings of Gold in February 2012 and was assigned to VAQ-129 of NAS Whidbey Island.

Val met her future husband, fellow USNA classmate and native Marylander Sean Delaney, while training in Singapore and Australia after plebe year. They were married on February 18, 2012, at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis; days after Val qualified her carrier landings. They made their home in Anacortes, where they enjoyed mountain biking, snowboarding and hunting together.

Val will always be remembered as a person of great integrity, strong faith and an unyielding compassion for all those she met. Her legacy will be an inspiration to future aviators and all women.

For another bio and deeper look at Val’s primary character strengths of love, perseverance and spirituality, visit the Travis Manion Foundation’s fallen hero tribute page.