“Cold War Sailor” is the story of one man’s love affair with the Navy that takes you from the post-Vietnam ere, through the end of the Cold War, and into the Age of Terrorism.

John  was a part of the expanding missions and capabilities of the Navy Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopter community with deployments to the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, and the Western Pacific. As one of the first Joint Staff Officers in the Navy, he spent eleven years in positions of increasing responsibility in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), culminating as the Military Assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

He commanded Helicopter Anti-Squadron Light THREE SEVEN during DESERT STORM in the Persian Gulf, and Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy during operation DELIBERATE FORCE in Kosovo, and deployed to Bosnia Hercegovina for NATO’s first out of area operation with the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) Headquarters as the Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff.

The U.S. Navy trained John to be a Naval Aviator, taught him to think outside the narrow confines of his education and upbringing, and allowed him to explore the world. Service in the Navy expanded his horizons both personally and professionally. In return, he gave the U.S. Navy thirty years of his life and got the better end of the deal.

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About the speaker

John "Jack" Coyne is a retired Navy Captain and a career Naval Aviator, with over 30 years of service flying helicopters in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Western Pacific.

One of the pioneer Joint Staff Officers in the Navy, he spent eight consecutive years overseas with experience at every level of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including Norfolk, Virginia, Naples, Italy, Sarajevo, Bosnia Hercegovina, Brussels, Belgium and Washington, D.C. He served as the Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff at Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy, and concurrently with the Implementation Force (IFOR) in Sarajevo, Bosnia Hercegovina during OPERATION DELIBERATE FORCE. He later was the Military Assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

An Unrestricted Naval Aviator with almost 3,700 flight hours, he commanded Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light THREE SEVEN at Barbers Point, Hawaii during OPERATION DESERT STORM in Kuwait. Selected for Major Aviation Command, he served as Commanding Officer of Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy during OPERATION ALLIED FORCE in Kosovo.

He lives in Fairfax with his wife Linda and enjoys tennis, travel, and spending time with his family.