| abstract | - Howard E. Wasdin (born Howard E. Wilbanks on November 8, 1961) is a former member of the United States Navy who served as a sailor in the Atlantic Fleet as well as a Navy SEAL. Following his honorable discharge, he co-wrote the autobiographical memoir SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper. Wasdin was raised in Screven, Georgia and enrolled at Cumberland College for several years before enlisting with the Navy. Following his military career, he graduated from Life University in Marietta, Georgia and earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Eventually joined the fleet, serving in Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 7 (HS-7) as an antisubmarine warfare operator and rescue swimmer. HS-7 deployed aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). In early October 1986 during a deployment aboard John F. Kennedy, Wasdin was aboard a Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean due to a catastrophic loss of transmission oil while tracking the Soviet submarine K-219 which had suffered an explosion and fire in a ballistic missile tube near Bermuda. Wasdin and crew were successfully rescued from the downed aircraft which eventually inverted and sank after a salvage attempt. The remainder of his time in HS-7 revealed him to be an extremely confident and capable junior petty officer. He was well liked among his peers. Wasdin served the rest of his active duty contract with HS-7 Squadron before re-enlisting to attend Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL selection and training. Following successful completion of training, Wasdin served with SEAL Team 2 in Little Creek, Virginia and was deployed in the Persian Gulf War. Later he was selected to join the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, (also known as "DEVGRU" and "SEAL Team Six"), which is classed as a Special Mission Unit within the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command.
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