Soaring to New Heights

Before her sophomore year, Stephanie Erwin signed a contract committing to Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (NROTC), an intense military preparation program requiring post-graduation service.

One month later was Sept. 11, 2001.

“At first, as I watched the planes hit the towers on TV, I felt like a normal student,” Erwin said. “But later, and especially with the invasion of Iraq, it hit home that I was most likely going to be a part of this war effort.”

After graduating in 2004 with a bachelor’s in international relations and political science from USC Dornsife, Erwin went to flight school.  

“It’s an incredibly challenging program,” Erwin said. “There’s a lot of sleep deprivation, and I was constantly forced to think on my feet. Very few people make it through because it’s extremely stressful. … But it was an amazing opportunity.”

Growing up in Canal Winchester, a town of about 7,000 residents in Ohio, Erwin’s wanderlust led her to seek a college education out of state. At USC Dornsife, Erwin spent the summers touring the world on submarines and aircraft carriers. After getting a taste of almost every role, she knew that she wanted to be a pilot, even if it meant committing herself to 10 years of service.

Throughout the decade, Erwin was deployed in Puerto Rico, Columbia, Spain, Greece, Oman and, most recently, Bahrain — a small island country near the western shores of the Persian Gulf 124 miles from Iran.

What touched her most came during one of her first deployments on the USS WASP. In 2007, Hurricane Felix had decimated Nicaragua and the surrounding countries. “As a helicopter pilot, I flew directly into remote villages — often landing in soccer fields — distributing supplies and taking severely injured people to disaster hospitals,” she said. “There, I was actually able to save lives.

“But the best part was when I gave candy to little kids, who smiled despite everything that had happened.”

For Stephanie Erwin, the most memorable part of serving in the U.S. Navy was providing humanitarian aid to villages in Nicaragua after Hurricane Felix devastated the country in 2007. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Erwin.

After that deployment, Erwin lived in Italy and on the USS Mt. Whitney, the flagship for the European commander for the United States Navy.

“I went to pretty much every country in Europe on that deployment,” she said.

Next, stationed back in the U.S. for two years, Erwin earned a master’s in security studies, with a concentration on the Middle East, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

Her final deployment was to Bahrain, where she lived for nearly three years, flying distinguished visitors throughout the Middle East.  

“I have flown Prince Philip, the Queen of England’s husband; Condoleezza Rice, when she was Secretary of State; admirals; and generals up from one to three stars,” she said.

Although Erwin did not serve in combat, her assignment was considered hazardous duty. “My car has been Molotov cocktailed, and I’ve been harassed. It happens, but it’s not the norm,” she said.

Erwin said she gained cultural savvy and sensitivity at USC Dornsife.

“I learned to respect the customs of the people in the countries where I was living,” she said, “In Bahrain, for example, I had to cover up completely during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.”

Erwin particularly recalls a course she took as a freshman with Steve Lamy, professor of international relations, now vice dean for academic programs.

“I really enjoyed the discussions it generated,” she said. “So many of my professors were considered experts on subjects like terrorism and national security, so it was exciting to watch world events unfold and analyze them in real time.”

In November, Erwin finished her final deployment. She is now working for George Washington University in Washington, D.C., as a program manager. She hopes to pursue a doctorate and eventually a professorship. 

Her return is somewhat bittersweet.

“What I love about aviation is the sense of community and the camaraderie,” she said. “When I was still on the fence about flight school, an aviator told me that it goes by so fast that I shouldn’t worry about the commitment.

“And I can honestly say, having been in almost 11 years, the time has flown.”