Faculty

CDR Garry Wright joined the AAT after his assignment as Executive Officer aboard the USS COWPENS (CG-63). He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1992 with a BA in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. 

Following commissioning as a Surface Warfare Officer he served on USS OBANNON (DD 987) as Combat Information Center (CIC) Officer, followed by a tour as Safety Officer aboard USS SEATTLE (AOE 3). He was next ordered to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA where he studied Portuguese prior to assignment aboard the Brazilian Navy Ship Matosso Maia (ex-USS CAYUGA) from 1998 to 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

His first department head tour was on USS RAINIER (AOE 7) as the Operations Officer deploying to the Persian Gulf with the CONSTELLATION Battle Group. RAINIER’s return to Bremerton from that deployment on 10 September, 2001 was marred by the attack on the World Trade Center the following day.  CDR Wright’s second department head tour was as Operations Officer aboard USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7), which deployed from San Diego as part of the Amphibious Task Force WEST in support of the 2^nd Iraq War. 

His next tour was on the COMTHIRDFLT Staff in San Diego, CA as the Future Operations Officer in the N3  shop, and later as the Assistant Deputy N4. CDR Wright served as DCA onboard USS PELELIU (LHA 5) for Operation PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP before his assignment as Executive Officer aboard COWPENS.