Honoring and Remembering Senior Chief Shannon Kent, USN

Born to Stephen and Mary Smith in Oswego, New York, Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent grew up in the small Hudson Valley town of Pine Plains, where she graduated as an honor student from Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School.

Early on Shannon had insatiable curiosity for other cultures which led her to immerse herself in and fully embrace new languages. As a teen she learned Spanish and in high school she learned French in a few short months. This was a gift that would serve her well. In 2001, Shannon started as a freshman at State University of New York at Plattsburgh where she studied communications and mass media.

Fueled by the 9/11 attacks, on December 11, 2003, Shannon enlisted in the U. S. Navy. Following boot camp she received Arabic language training from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California and graduated in 2005 as a Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive).