Commander Vernon H Stanfield Commanding Officer
CDR Stanfield was born on April 26, 1972 and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1990, he enlisted in the Navy as an E1 and was selected to attend the Broaden Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (B.O.O.S.T.) program. Upon completion of B. O.O.S.T. in 1991, he attended the N.R.O.T.C. unit at Old Dominion University. In December of 1995, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Community Health Profession. On December 17, 1995, he was commissioned an Ensign (Surface Warfare Officer) in the United States Navy.
As a Division Officer, his first assignment was a Deck and Weapons Officer onboard USS FORT FISHER (LSD 40), stationed in San Diego, CA. His second Division Officer tour was as the Navigation, Administration, and Legal Officer onboard USS JOHN PAUL JONES (DDG 53), stationed in San Diego, CA. For his shore tour, he was the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the officer recruiting station in Cincinnati, OH attached to Naval Recruiting District (NRD) Indianapolis, IN. After completion of Department Head School in Newport, RI, he was assigned as the Deck Department Head and Senior Watch Officer onboard USS FORT MCHENRY (LSD 43), stationed in Sasebo, Japan. For his second department head tour, CDR Stanfield served as the Operations Officer for Amphibious Squadron Five (CPR 5), stationed in San Diego, CA. After his department head sea tours, he attended the U.S. Army Command General Staff College located in Fort Leavenworth, KS. While attending CGSC, he earned a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University. He was assigned as a Financial Analyst and later selected as the Executive Officer for the Chief Financial Officer and Director, Special Operations Financial Management, Headquarters United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. His last assignment was Executive Officer of USS WHIDBEY ISLAND, and he fleeted up as Commanding Officer.
CDR Stanfield’s awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (x4), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit and service awards.