Navy Couple Attached to IWTC San Diego and USS Howard Reenlist Together
22 June 2021
From Information Warfare Training Command San Diego
Although every Navy reenlistment is special, a recent one was even more meaningful as Senior Chief Sonar Technician Surface Ryan Markham and Chief Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Jennifer Ripslinger, husband and wife, reenlisted together aboard USS Howard (DDG 83).
SAN DIEGO – Although every Navy reenlistment is special, a recent one was even more meaningful as Senior Chief Sonar Technician Surface Ryan Markham and Chief Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Jennifer Ripslinger, husband and wife, reenlisted together aboard USS Howard (DDG 83).
Markham of Shreveport, Louisiana, the weapons department leading chief petty officer for USS Howard, and his wife, Jennifer Ripslinger of Davenport, Iowa, an instructor at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) San Diego, offered this was a serendipitous occasion as timing prevented previous attempts to reenlist together.
“Three years ago, my husband and I reenlisted within a week of each other, so for this one, we wanted to reenlist together,” said Ripslinger. “Howard’s schedule shifted dramatically, so I’m very appreciative that the ship and IWTC San Diego’s chains of command were still able to allow us to conduct this very special reenlistment.”
Vice Admiral Roy L. Kitchener, commander, Naval Surface Forces, who was already visiting USS Howard, served as the reenlisting officer for the couple.
“I greatly appreciated Vice Adm. Kitchener taking the time to conduct our reenlistment,” added Ripslinger, “I am glad we were offered this unique opportunity.”
“When the opportunity comes up to have the ceremony conducted by a three-star flag officer, we had to take advantage. I am also glad that I got to conduct our ceremony with my two boys,” said Markham.
IWTC San Diego, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.
With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains approximately 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.
For more news from the Center for Information Warfare Training domain, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/CIWT, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.