MILLINGTON, Tenn. – U.S. Navy sailors from across the fleet are headed to Arizona for Tucson Navy Week, Feb. 17 to 23, to volunteer in the community and discuss why the Navy matters to the Old Pueblo.
While many of the sailors are from all over the country, this Navy Week will carry special meaning for visiting sailors from the area, including Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Sherman, a native of Tucson, Arizona.
“Participating in Tucson Navy Week is important to me because it brings me back to where it all started,” Sherman said. “Growing up in Tucson, we went to air shows and had a ton of exposure to the Air Force, which is world-class in many respects, but young men and women from Arizona need to know the Navy provides opportunities and experience that simply cannot be matched by other services. I want to tell them about it firsthand.”
Sherman graduated from Tucson Accelerated High School in 2000 and began the journey in higher education in Arizona – earning an associate degree in general studies from the University of Phoenix in 2008.
Sherman, a third-generation sailor, joined the Navy 24 years ago. Both of Sherman’s grandfathers served during the Korean War, one as an aerial gunner and the other as a machinist’s mate. Sherman’s father served in the 1970s as an electrician’s mate, gaining skills that would lead to a civilian career as an electrician. Sherman’s father told sea stories as Sherman was growing up, instilling the desire to see the world, Sherman said.
“I joined the Navy almost 25 years ago for a myriad of reasons,” Sherman said. “At first, I viewed service as a stepping stone to something new, thinking perhaps I would gain valuable experience or maybe make connections for a future job, but in reality, I was unsure. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. The thought of adventure or travel was certainly part of my decision to enlist as well.”
Sherman enlisted as an intelligence specialist and later commissioned as a naval officer.
“My job in the Navy is extremely complex because it has changed so much,” Sherman said. “I spent the first several years of my career working on national watch centers ... As a naval officer, my work is much more administrative. I’ve had the honor of leading teams of sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines in intelligence operations and missions around the globe. Some days are benign, but some days I cannot believe they pay me to do this job because I would do it for free.”
Sherman has had many opportunities to excel in military service and said one achievement surpasses all others.
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| Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Sherman, seen here as a seaman recruit in 2000. |
“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy was when I pinned on the anchors of chief petty officer,” Sherman said. “For many sailors who serve, it is a defining moment in their career and it most certainly was in mine. It is followed closely by being commissioned as a naval officer and becoming the first in my family to earn a master’s degree.”
Today, Sherman is assigned to Commander, Naval Information Force Reserve, and plans to retire later this year, wrapping up a long Navy career with pride and gratitude.
“It took time to genuinely appreciate and understand what true service meant to me,” Sherman said. “My perspective and attitude toward the Navy changed – I began to think less of what I could get from the organization and more toward what I could offer and how I could improve the lives and careers of those who follow me. My service and those I have served with became my legacy. It was an opportunity to serve with the brightest men and women of our generation under a common goal: to secure peace through presence and power at sea.
“The Navy provides opportunities, financial stability and education. In many ways, it made me a better father, husband and citizen. My fiancé became my wife, and she has been with me since the beginning. My daughters only know life in the Navy, and together, we have seen the world. I hope in the future, they understand and appreciate what a tremendous blessing and journey it was.”
Sherman is grateful to those who made a career in the Navy possible – Sherman’s dad, Matthew, and brother, Matthew II, who both still live in Tucson; Sherman’s mom, Anna, who lives in Winslow; and Sherman’s mother-in-law, Andrea Marshall, who also lives in Tucson.
“In retrospect, I owe much of my military success to my parents and the values and discipline they instilled in me,” said Sherman. “My father was a Navy man, as such he was punctual and demanded adherence to the standard. It did not matter if it was cleaning the house, doing yard work or playing a sport, you were required to do your best or do it again. This work ethic has served me well from boot camp and beyond.”
Sherman will be among the sailors participating in what will be the fifth Navy Week to be hosted in Tucson. Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Tucson.
“As we celebrate 250 years of naval tradition and excellence as a maritime nation, we recognize it’s the combination of the world’s most sophisticated weapons systems, and more importantly our highly skilled people – at sea and ashore – who provide an unmatched advantage in promoting prosperity and security, deterring aggression and protecting the American way of life,” said Cmdr. Julie Holland, Navy Office of Community Outreach director. “Your sailors continue a tradition of decisive power from seabed to space and we’re thrilled to bring them to Tucson so you can witness their tremendous character, competence and dedication firsthand.”
Tucson Navy Week events include a Navy Week proclamation and recognition ceremony at the Arizona Heroes Memorial; Discovery Night at the Children’s Museum; Navy Day at the Reid Park Zoo; 100th La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo; the Pima Air and Space Museum; and free live music at venues throughout the city performed by Navy Band Southwest. Sailors will also volunteer with organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs; Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK); StandUp for Kids; YMCA; Habitat for Humanity; Market on the Move; GAP Ministries; Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona; and Tucson Bicycle Classic, among others.
For a list of public events, visit https://outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks/Tucson-2025/