Cryptologic Bytes

Navy cryptologists urge service to name destroyer after Shannon Kent

As reported by Diana Stancy Correll for the Military Times, a group of U.S. Navy cryptologists is urging the U.S. Navy to name a destroyer after Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon Kent, who was killed Jan. 16, 2019 in Syria.

Station HYPO, a blog dedicated to Navy cryptology, launched a campaign in January 2020 (see excerpt below), pressing readers to contact lawmakers and the Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, to petition for a destroyer to be named in honor of Kent.

Learn more via the Military Times article.

Below is an excerpt from StationHypo regarding the petition:

Shipmates and friends,

On January 16, 2019, CTICS(IW/EXW) Shannon M. Kent was killed in action in Manbij, Syria while supporting Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolved.  She is the only female cryptologist killed in action in the history of naval cryptology, leaving behind two small children and a husband.

We are writing you in the hopes that each of you will consider joining us in committing to writing letters to your Senators/Representatives and the Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly to ask that a destroyer be named after CTICS Shannon Mary Kent.  We don’t know who your Senators/Representatives are but here is the address for Secretary of the Navy:

THOMAS B. MODLY
Office of the Acting Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon, Room 4D652
Washington, DC 20350

Read more on the StationHypo blog.

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