Staying Navy.

“I’m somebody else.” No, Scott doesn’t have an identity problem. In fact, he knows exactly who he is. In this instance, Scott is referring to how he thinks a majority of the population views serving in the military. “They think it’s not necessary or important,” Scott says. “They think, ‘Oh, somebody else will do that. Somebody else will guarantee our freedom.’ Well, I’m somebody else.”

After serving on Active Duty Navy for four years, Scott transitioned to attend a military college where he studied engineering. Upon graduation, Scott immediately joined the Navy Reserve. In his civilian role, Scott works as a civil engineer dealing primarily with automobile traffic-related projects. In the Navy Reserve, he is a Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class, serving as an Assistant Operations Officer for an amphibious Construction Battalion (Seabees). Although Scott definitely does not suffer from an identity crisis, he does admit that there are two very different sides to him.

“As an engineer, I don’t really get my hands dirty,” he says. “I’m busy designing, managing and leading design teams to get the project completed. As a Boatswain’s Mate, I’m getting my hands dirty and breaking a sweat. I really like that hands-on aspect of it. I like dragging the chains — it makes me feel like I’m doing my job.”

A few years back, Scott’s “job” could have prevented him from marrying his wife. “She had these rules of dating,” Scott laughs, “and I passed most of them, but there was one I couldn’t pass: ‘nobody in the military.’ Well, she overlooked that rule and we got married a couple of years later. Now she’s very supportive and fully understands and respects my commitment to my country. And, I must admit, she does take full advantage of my commissary privileges.”

In addition to his duties as Assistant Operations Officer, Scott also serves as his unit’s Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist (SCWS) coordinator. In this role, Scott helps those who want to gain the warfare qualifications they need in order to be promoted. Scott lists the day his Commanding Officer presented him with his “SCWS pin” as one of his most memorable. “This was my third warfare pin [out of five] and pretty much my last,” Scott says, “because I’m not going to go live on submarines, and I’m too old to enlist in the SEALs. Hey, three out of five isn’t too bad.”

When he’s not serving his country, Scott serves his community as a volunteer firefighter. He’s also a master mason in the local Masonic Lodge and a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE). In his spare time, Scott enjoys working out at the gym and traveling with his wife Michelle.

Scott lives in the Northeast United States.