Station HYPO

Some careers are shaped by careful planning. Others are shaped by history.

For CAPT Michael S. Salehi, the defining chapter of his Navy career began aboard USS Philippine Sea (CG 58). Just months before the attacks of September 11, 2001, he served as the ship’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) Officer, leading boarding team operations during deployment in support of maritime security missions. On September 11, he was deployed with Philippine Sea as the United States came under attack. Just weeks later, the ship became the first to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles into Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Like so many who served during that generation, the attacks reshaped not only the nation’s priorities, but the course of his own career.

Twenty-one years ago today, on June 28, 2005, the United States suffered one of the darkest days in the history of Naval Special Warfare. During Operation Red Wings, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team operating in the rugged mountains of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, was compromised while conducting a mission against insurgent forces. The ensuing battle and rescue attempt resulted in the loss of 19 American service members.

Cryptologic Technician Collection Chief (Retired) Terence Lee Sadler enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve on 15 June 1983 under the Delayed Entry Program, following graduation from Good News Academy, St. Landry, Louisiana. He entered active duty on 26 March 1984 at the Military Entrance Processing Station, Shreveport, Louisiana, reporting to Recruit Training Center Orlando, Florida. CTRC Sadler retired from the United States Navy on 31 March 2004 after 20 years of distinguished active service. Following his naval retirement, he continued to serve the nation as a Department of the Army civilian employee for an additional 21 years, retiring on 30 September 2025. His combined military and federal civilian service spans more than 42 years of dedicated service to the United States.

BY: CTRCM (Ret) Denise Vola

CAPT Joseph B. Harrison III, USN, was honored in Tampa, FL and retired after nearly 40 years of naval service to our beloved nation in a ceremony that was held on June 25, 2026.