Lt. j.g. Stafford Babbitt has seen parts of the world that most people from Westfield don’t get to experience.
Babbitt, 25, graduated from Westfield High School in 2017 before studying political science at Purdue University. Upon graduation from Purdue in 2021, he entered Navy Officer Candidate School. He was recently home on leave from his ship, the USS Gravely, part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group that has been in the Red Sea since November 2023, where he serves as a supply officer on the ship.
The USS Gravely — a guided missile destroyer — is part of a carrier strike group positioned to respond to Israel’s war with Hamas. In January, the ship fired missiles at Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and shot down incoming missiles fired by those rebels.
Babbitt said living on the sea is an interesting aspect of the Navy that many don’t consider.
“I was in my office doing paperwork, and the alarm was going off that we were being fired at and we were responding,” he said. “I was sitting there doing the ship’s taxes and that was funny to me, the mindset you’re in. You always need to be prepared at any time, but you also conduct yourself like nothing is happening. I would say you hope to take those skills into your next job. If I can do these taxes while there’s a cruise missile being fired at my ship, then I can do a normal job.”
Besides learning to work under pressure, Babbitt said the military, and specifically officer training school, provides opportunities that he encourages other Shamrocks to consider.
“My experience here is definitely going to afford me a larger selection of jobs when I get out, and it’s all thanks to the military and their training,” he said. “After this command, I have an opportunity, the Navy Supply Corps offers internships. If you apply and get accepted, you could wind up working for Boeing or Apple. You can even leave for two years. So, you still have time in, but they set that aside (and) you can go out and learn these skills and come back. It’s sending people out into the civilian sector and giving them that training.”
Babbitt said he hopes more Indiana high school graduates who attend college don’t rule out the military. He said while people think of military members as being on the front line, each service branch is successful because of long lines of support, from logistics to health care workers.
“I think I am set up far better,” he said. “It was really beneficial to get out and meet all these people who are driven who, like you, want to be part of something bigger than themselves. That’s the No. 1 benefit I’m taking away: I would not have been able to learn these things anywhere else outside of the Navy.”
Babbitt was inspired to serve by the stories of his family members who were in the U.S. Armed Forces.
“Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, and growing up I heard stories from my dad about their adventures and getting to travel around,” Babbitt said. “It sounded like something I might be interested in as I grew up, and it was an interest to get to travel.”
The USS Gravely returned to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia July 14. Babbitt returned to his ship after one week on leave in Indiana.
Learn more about the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group at Facebook.com/CSGTwo.
