Appointment of Capt Stu J. Cvrk, USNA '74, to the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC Board of Directors

Capt Stu J. Cvrk, USNA ‘74 has been very supportive of the Combat Veterans For Congress since May 2014, he has strongly supported efforts to recruit, campaign for, and elect Combat Veterans to serve in Congress, while often posting the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC’s Op Eds on RedState.  Capt Cvrk is appointed as the "Director of Congressional and Public Relations", on the Board of Directors of the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC.

Capt Stu Cvrk is a native South Dakotan and is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Class of 1974, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Oceanography; he is a resident of Springfield, SD.  After commissioning as a Surface Warfare Officer, he was selected as a member of the commissioning crew of USS Moinester (FF-1097), followed by duty as ASW Officer in USS John Young (DD-973).  On Moinester, he was the first Surface ASW Officer to deploy on a surface ship with tactical towed array sonar (TACTAS).  He later served as the ASW Section Head at Fleet Training Group, San Diego before transitioning into the US Naval Reserve in 1981.  In June 1981, he received an MBA with an emphasis on Government Relations and Politics, from National University in San Diego.

As an active Naval Reservist for the next 23 years, he primarily served in the Inshore Undersea Warfare community, the modern equivalent of the World War II coastal watchers.  Today Inshore Undersea Warfare Units are equipped with automated surveillance, communications, and C4ISR capabilities.  Capt Cvrk matriculated through multiple billets in the Inshore Undersea Warfare community for 13 years, and in June 1994, he was selected as Commander, Naval Inshore Undersea Warfare Group One.  During his 3-year tour as Commodore, he deployed 32 hardware-equipped units to 50 operations and exercises in the COMFIFTHFLT and COMSEVENTHFLT areas of responsibility while deploying with his staff in his operational role as COMPHIBGRU THREE’s Force Security Officer during LOTS/JOTS exercises in Thailand, Qatar, and Australia.

Capt Cvrk was twice recalled to active duty for extended periods, serving first as the Operations Officer for the Harbor Defense Command in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and then later as the Deputy for Homeland Security at COMNAVSPAWARSYSCOM during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom.

In May 2004, following 30 years of dedicated service in the US Navy, Capt Stu J. Cvrk was Honorably Discharged.  Capt Cvrk’s awards include the Legion of Merit Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (Gold Star for 2nd award), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2 Gold Stars for 3rd award), Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy/Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), and other service awards.

Capt Cvrk joined SAIC, a major defense contractor, in 1981 and retired in 2019, after 38 years with SAIC.  Over the years, he and his technical teams supported many organizations/companies, including the National Reconnaissance Office, Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF), DARPA, COMNAVSPAWARSYSCOM, USJFCOM J32, CINCPACFLT N6, SPAWAR Systems Center-San Diego, Office of Naval Research, AFRL-Wright Patterson, DISA, Fleet Information Warfare Center, General Motors, and Pfizer. He served as de facto government program manager for the JWARN program and deployed for short periods to Iraq in 2007 and in 2008 to support staff at the Multi-National Force Headquarters in the Al Faw Palace in Baghdad.  During his final 10 years at SAIC, he served as primary op-tech support to the Technical Director at PEO C4I, which included participation in TS/SCI/SAP analyses of US versus Chinese war-at-sea scenarios, among many other tasks.

Capt Cvrk has been married to his wife Judy for 33 years, and they are the proud parents of twin sons, a third son, and a daughter adopted in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.  His brother, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Cvrk, USMC (Ret) is also a resident of Springfield, SD, and once held the plebe record in the mile run at US Naval Academy for several years while he was a member of the US Naval Academy Class of 1976.  Capt Cvrk is the Director of Congressional and Public Relations on the Board of Directors of the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC.