Shawn Farwell:  

I joined the US Navy before graduation and enjoyed my last summer in paradise. In September I was off to the coldest place on earth (Great Lakes, IL) for boot camp. Between then and 2003, I sailed with the crews of six different Navy ships from the eastern seaboard to the coast of Iraq. In a weird Forrest Gump sort of way, I followed the advice of an old recruiting poster that said "Don't read about history, make it!" I was crew onboard the USS Underwood 75 miles downrange from Cape Canaveral when the shuttle Challenger went up. (28 Jan 1986) I got to spend ten days in a whaleboat picking up the pieces. Spent most of '88 onboard the USS Elmer Montgomery in the Arabian Gulf dodging missiles and blowing gunboats out of the water. We were a half mile from the USS Vincennes when she shot the Iranian "airliner" out of the sky. After some much needed shore duty testing experimental vehicles in Patuxent River, MD, I joined the crew of the USS Moosbrugger on the way to Desert Shield. The next 7 months were spent in the Red Sea in support of the USS Saratoga battle group during Desert Storm. My tour on the Mighty Moose ended in late '93 after a terrific cruise in support of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic. We sailed with 7 NATO ships from Mardi Gras to the Mediterranean. My next tour was as the hand-picked driver for a two-star Admiral's boat in support of the 50th Anniversary of D-Day. We were based onboard the carrier G. Washington anchored in Portsmouth England where we hosted President Clinton (and her) and most of the Senate and Congress along with the military leaders from around the world. It was quite an experience. After that tour was another shore duty. This time I got to be an instructor at a reserve c...Expand for more