Sarasota native is coming home after serving two decades in the United States Navy

Special to the Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
Commander Jared Sweetser is returning to Sarasota after two decades in the Navy, including tours on the submarine USS Montpelier and aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
Commander Jared Sweetser is returning to Sarasota after two decades in the Navy, including tours on the submarine USS Montpelier and aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.

Commander Jared Sweetser is returning home to Sarasota after serving two decades in the United States Navy.

Sweetser, a Supply Corps Officer, is a 1999 graduate of Riverview High School and a state pole vault champion. He graduated from Florida State University with a degree in finance, then received his commission through Navy Officer Candidate School.

“Following 9/11, I knew I wanted to serve … specifically in the Navy because I love the water," Sweetser said in his retirement speech at Naval Air Station, North Island, in San Diego. "I was a business major and was attracted to the Supply Corps – the business managers of the Navy.”

Sweetser has served in a variety of positions in his career, including tours on the fast attack submarine USS Montpelier and the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. His overseas assignments included Korea and a year in Baghdad, Iraq, where he was Aide-de-Camp to Lt. Gen. Chip Luckey, Director of Foreign Military Sales.

Sweetser’s shore commands, specializing in Naval Aviation sustainment, included Jacksonville, Philadelphia, and San Diego. He was selected for the the Training with Industry Program, where he spent a year alongside the supply chain team of Home Depot in Atlanta. The lessons applied to his Aviation Sustainment tour in Philadelphia earned recognition from the Secretary of the Navy for contributions to Naval Aviation readiness.

Commander, Naval Air Forces, Vice Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, presided over the retirement ceremony. He referenced Sweetser’s enduring contributions to Naval Aviation sustainment. Guest speaker Rear Admiral R. Duke Heinz said Sweetser was part of the 1% percent who routinely went above and beyond for mission requirements.

Sweetser is the latest in a long line of officers in his family. His great-great-grandfather Marshall Prescott Sweetser served in the Civil War and his great-grandfather Brig. Gen. Warren E. Sweetser served in the Spanish American War and WWI. Grandfathers Major Stanwood Sweetser (Marines) and Lt. Joseph Zabilski (Navy) both served in WWII. His father Lt. Chandler Sweetser (Navy) served two tours in Vietnam.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served my country and for the support of my family and friends throughout my career," Sweetser said. "I look forward to reconnecting and getting involved in our incredibly special community.”

Sweetser and his wife, Julie, have two boys.

Submitted by Navy Office of Community Outreach

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota native coming home after serving two decades in the US Navy