About Mo
Moises “Mo” Abraham Navas was born on 16 December 1985 in Chiriqui, Panama. Born to two missionaries, Moises Z. and Aurora, Moises lived in Panama for 10 years before immigrating to the United States. Mo spent his youth playing soccer, becoming a fierce sweeper and goalie at Quince Orchard High School. In 2004, Mo graduated high school and attended recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island.
Upon earning the title “United States Marine”, Mo received orders to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., known as “8th and I”. During a visit at his parents’ church, he met his wife Liset and the two were married shortly after. Always eager to serve his country, Moises fought his way onto a deployment to Qatar in 2006. Upon return from his deployment, Moises earned the rank of Sergeant and applied for the Marine Corps Enlisted to Officer Program. He was accepted and prepared to attend school at University of North Florida.
In the summer of 2008, he joined the NROTC program at Jacksonville University. He would spend the next couple of years being the lead Marine example for Midshipmen and peers to emulate. He served as the Semper Fi Society President and brought the intensity and fire needed to mold the next generation of Marine Officers. During this time, he blazed through the O-Course in less than a minute, led hikes, and won a few “friendly” flag football games with University of Florida’s NROTC program. He even convinced his younger brother to attend Jacksonville University and join the NROTC program to become a Marine Corps Officer (and had him live on his couch for the first year)!
While in Florida, Mo and Liset introduced their first child, Calleigh, to the world. It was a time well in preparation for what Mo knew laid ahead of him, leading Marines as a Platoon Commander. Always the overachiever, he finished the program in 2.5 years instead of the average 4 years. He commissioned in the summer of 2010.
After commissioning, he attended The Basic School in Quantico, VA. During this time, he and Liset had the first of their 3 boys, Aiden. He graduated TBS and attended the Infantry Officer Course 4-11 (the summer class, which he considered the hardest one). He achieved his dream of becoming an Infantry officer and received orders to 2d Battalion, 3d Marines where he served as a Platoon Commander and later Company Executive Officer for Golf Company. While in Hawaii, he and Liset had Micah and Liam. He deployed twice with V23 to rotations Okinawa, Philippines, and Korea.
Mo then attended MARSOC’s Assessment and Selection and Individual Training Course to become a Special Operations Officer in 2016. He deployed to Jordan as Team Commander of 8232, Hotel Company, 2d Raider Battalion. Upon return from deployment, he was selected as the Company Executive Officer for Hotel Company.
Moises and his Company deployed to Iraq in early 2020. On March 8, 2020, Mo was killed in action with another Raider, GySgt Diego Pongo, during cave clearing operations. He was interred in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in July of 2020.
He is survived by his wife, Liset, and their beautiful children, Calleigh, Aiden, Micah, and Liam of Tampa, FL. He is also survived by his parents, Moises Z. and Aurora Navas of Franklinton, NC, his youngest brother, Josue Navas of Franklinton, NC, his younger brother, Major Moises E. Navas, his wife, Stephanie Navas, his nephews and niece, Lucas, Tahlia, Caleb of Cambridge, MA.
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When not leading Marines, Mo would be found working out, hanging out with his kids, falling asleep to a movie or starting fights over board games. His big personality and larger than life laugh frequently overtook the room wherever he went. Mo will forever be in the hearts of his family and the friends that became his family, and will forever be missed.
