Capt. Sohaney enlisted as a sonar technician in 1987. He served aboard USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) homeported in San Diego, California. He deployed to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1993 he was selected for a commissioning program at NROTC San Diego, graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Summa Cum Laude. He was designated a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) May 1997. 

Command Master Chief Jessee Hess was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and reported for active duty at Recruit Training Command Orlando, Florida, in August 1993. After completing boot camp, he reported to Cryptologic Technician Technical ‘A’ School at Naval Technical Training Center Corry Station in Pensacola, Florida, and then attended Classic Wizzard ‘C’ School at Naval Security Group Activity Winter Harbor, Maine.