United States Navy

Chris M. Bitler, Lt., SWSCO, USNR

In 1989 I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) from August to November 1989.  From there, I was commissioned an Ensign and transferred to the Supply Corp School in Athens, GA for six months.  After graduation I turned down assignment to the USS Enterprise (drydock) and awaited a duty station while serving temporary duty at the Navy Supply Center, Norfolk, VA.

In December 1990, I accepted assignment to the USS Caron (DD-970), and shortly thereafter was deployed to Desert Storm. Six months in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea for Desert Storm and Desert Shield.  I returned about a year later for another 4-5 months in the Red Sea, boarding freighters and serving as helo control officer.

Then after two deployments and numerous ops off the East Coast and in the Caribbean, I left the USS Caron for the Naval Air Engineering Station, Lakehurst, NJ.  There I served in the Supply Department as head of the Purchasing department and later the Warehouse department before separating from the Navy to finally use my accounting degree in public accounting.