THEY SERVED IN SILENCE

The Story of a Cryptologic Hero

CTICS Shannon M. Kent

“Shannon’s desire to protect and care for her family, shipmates 

and her country is reflected in her relentless pursuit of the enemy 

and the life she built for our sons.

She was the best of us, my best friend and soulmate.”

 Joseph Kent

Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent (nee Smith), USN, was born in Oswego, New York, and raised in 

Pine Plains, New York. Pine Plains is in historic Duchess County, an area that contributed manpower and 

resources to the fledgling American nation’s efforts to win and preserve freedom. Shannon’s life and 

accomplishments would become a part of this history. 

Shannon hailed from a family characterized by service. Both her father, who has had a distinguished 

career as a senior official in the New York State Police, and her uncle, a firefighter, braved the Twin Towers 

on 9/11. She also has a brother currently serving in the United States Marine Corps. From her earliest days 

she proved to be a true renaissance woman in every sense of the word. During her youth she developed a 

wide range of talents and abilities and pursued excellence in the classroom, the volleyball court and most 

notably in the realm of languages. A lover of horses, she trained herself to speak Spanish to enable her to 

converse with the local stable hands, and she also had time to teach her little sister to do likewise.

During high school, Shannon Smith excelled academically, and for a few years 

she attended college. Like many others, however, the events of 9/11, and the 

inspiration provided by her father and uncle prompted her to join the military, 

and in 2003 she enlisted in the US Navy. After basic training, she graduated 

from the Defense Language Institute in 2004 and became proficient in Arabic 

and numerous other languages. From there, she began a stellar career as a 

gifted intelligence professional serving at Ft. Gordon, the Naval Special Warfare 

Support Activity Two, and finally Special Operations at Ft. Meade, where she 

ultimately became a member of the Technical Support Activity of Cryptologic 

Warfare Activity Sixty Six, an elite intelligence unit. 

Only the best are judged worthy to serve with the TSA in CWA-66, as was the case in her previous 

assignments. Senior Chief Kent proved to be a “rock star” in her efforts to provide and protect critical 

information during dangerous, demanding and perilous assignments around the world. She was not just a 

superb analyst, but also a true warrior who embodied all of the attributes that term denotes.
Photographs courtesy of the Kent family

CTICS Shannon M. Kent

11 May 1983 - 16 January 2019

United States Navy

MP 208766

In addition, during a training class at Ft. Belvoir, Shannon met a Green Beret Warrant Officer. Joseph Kent 

would become the love of her life. They married in 2014, and by 2017 the couple, despite demanding 

lives, were the parents of two beautiful sons, Colt and Josh, the middle names of both in honor of close 

friends who had been lost in combat.

Being a superstar both in the intelligence world and as a wife and mother was not enough for Senior 

Chief Kent. Somehow, she found the time to complete both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 

Psychology. In March 2018, she was accepted into a PhD program at the Uniformed Services University 

of Health Sciences. Her goal was to become a US Navy psychiatrist to help her fellow shipmates and 

service members better cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Her dream was put on hold in November 2018 when she deployed with her unit to Syria. During her 

time there, she was part of a highly skilled, multi-disciplined armed forces task force involved in critical 

and demanding intelligence work. On 16 January 2019, while involved in special operations against the 

Islamic State in the Syrian city of Manbij, Senior Chief Kent was felled by an improvised explosive device 

detonated by a suicide bomber.

It was once said of William Friedman, the father of American cryptology, that while he was largely 

unknown during his life, the effect he had on history was “incalculable.” Like Friedman and others in 

the cryptologic service, the specifics of Senior Chief Kent’s successes and achievements during her 

service to the nation are also largely unknown, but the results of her work can only be described as vast, 

meaningful, and enduring. A close relative of Senior Chief Kent summed 

up the sense of loss felt by her husband, family, friends and comrades in 

arms when she noted: “My God, I love you, Shannon. I don’t know how any 

of us will go on without you, but your strength is such an inspiration.”

Our nation today is beset by any number of daunting threats and 

challenges that can prompt the most optimistic of us to fear for the future. 

At the same time, however, it can be said that as long as individuals of the 

caliber of Senior Chief Petty Officer Kent are willing to answer the call to 

service, we can be assured that freedom and liberty will not perish but will 

prevail until the end of time.