Lewes native serves aboard U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier

Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan Shupe, a Lewes native, serves aboard USS Gerald R. Ford, homeported in Norfolk, Va.

Shupe graduated from Cape Henlopen High School in 2015, and he said the skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Lewes.

“My parents both work hard as a master electrician and a social worker,” said Shupe. "Seeing their sacrifices gave me a better sense of what I needed to do when I had my own job and my own family."

Shupe joined the Navy four years ago and now serves as an aviation ordnanceman.

“I wanted more opportunities, and the Navy gave me the chance to have them,” he said. “I thank God every day for my wife and family, and without the Navy, I would not be able to take care of them like I have."

The crew recently completed an extended deployment that was the first for the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was extended 76 days following the outbreak of conflict in Israel and operated in the Mediterranean Sea to deter further escalation and support Israel in its right to self-defense.

While in the Mediterranean, the carrier strike group participated in and supported numerous multinational exercises and vigilance activities to increase NATO capability and deter aggression in the region. The carrier visited ports in Croatia, Greece, Italy, Norway and Turkey.

“The Gerald R. Ford is everything our nation hoped it would be, and more. I am so proud of the crew who breathed life into the world’s most technologically advanced warship and stood the watch in defense of our national interests,” said Capt. Rick Burgess, Gerald R. Ford’s commanding officer. “Though extended, we were the right ship at the right time to answer the call, and our sailors performed admirably. Ford sailors honored our namesake’s legacies of hard work, integrity and courage.”

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Shupe serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.

“Succeeding on the 2023 nine-month deployment is an accomplishment I'm proud of,” said Shupe. "I am proud of the mental and emotional fortitude I found in myself.”

He can also take pride in serving America through military service. “Serving in the Navy means I can take care of my family, and that I have a purpose when I come to work,” said Shupe. “I know that in my small way, what I do benefits the nation. Anything I can do to make my family's life and the lives of others better, I will do it."

Shupe gives credit to others for helping make his Navy career possible. “I am definitely thankful for my father,” he said. "The motivating talks I had with him convinced me it was the right decision to join the Navy. My mother and sisters have also been great in their support of my career.”