CAMP SABALU-HARRISON, Afghanistan – Boatswain’s Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class (Surface Warfare) Christian Sherman, an active-duty sailor originally from Findlay, Ohio, is currently stationed at Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Va. He is assigned to the USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44), Whidbey Island-Class dock landing ship.
Sherman enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2007. During his time on the Gunston Hall, he completed one Mediterranean cruise and two partnership station cruises to Haiti and Africa. He served as a member of the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team, which is an intelligence collection team for piracy and terrorism. After six years in the Navy, half of Sherman’s enlistment has been either underway or deployed.
Sherman is currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom at Camp Sabalu-Harrison in Bagram, Afghanistan. Sherman stated that, “having a real-life mission where I can impact the lives of the Afghans in a positive manner has really energized me for this individual augmentee deployment.”
In addition to his challenging but rewarding work, he plays rhythm guitar in a deployment band named “Controlled Det.” His band travels around Bagram Air Field playing for troops in an effort to boost morale and welfare.
His future naval career goals are to make first class petty officer, become a mentor to junior sailors by passing along his deployment experiences and continue his education toward a Bachelor of Science degree in audio engineering.