Lt. Garrett Kasper is a native of Chicago, Ill., and was raised in Lisle, Ill., where he graduated from Benet Academy in 1992. He graduated with a B.A. in Public Relations from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., in 1996 and was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.

After graduating from Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, R.I., in 1997, Garrett reported to USS Monterey (CG 61), home-ported in Norfolk, Va. He served as the ship's gunnery and ordnance officer, administrative officer and public affairs officer. Garrett also qualified as an officer of the deck underway and completed a Mediterranean deployment in 1998.

In 1999, Garrett reported as the Deputy Director for the Navy Public Affairs Center in Norfolk and deployed to the Mediterranean region to support Operation Allied Force. He then served at the Fleet Hometown News Center and was officially designated a Navy PAO in June 2000.

Following his graduation from the Defense Information School in Fort Meade, Md., Garrett reported as the PAO aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in October 2000.

In July 2002, Garrett was assigned to the staff of COMUSNAVCENT/ COMFIFTHFLT headquartered in Manama, Bahrain. He organized more than 500 media embarks during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom which yielded unprecedented live television coverage of U.S. Navy warships during combat operations. As a spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Garrett escorted international media to coalition warships on patrol in the Arabian Gulf, showcasing the multi-national maritime forces supporting the Global War on Terror to millions of people worldwide.