A TRAINED FIGHTER. HOW BATAAN OPERATIONS OFFICER COMBATS ADVERSITY

AT SEA

10.02.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Brown 

USS Bataan (LHD 5)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 2, 2023


A TRAINED FIGHTER: HOW BATAAN OPERATIONS OFFICER COMBATS ADVERSITY
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matthew F. Brown

“Coming from the Soviet Union, life was a fight for my family,” said Cmdr. Dmitry Shvets, Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) operations officer. “Immigrating to America, and hitting road block after road block, we just had to fight through it.”
Shvets, a native of Kyiv, Ukraine, immigrated to the United States in 1990 at the age of five where he started boxing. There were many fighting clubs around Shvets while growing up in Philadelphia, allowing him to begin his boxing career at an early age. His first official fight was at featherweight at the age of twelve, he completed 100 fights prior to his time in the U.S. Naval Academy; 10 of which were underclass and the rest were open class. He won the Northwest Region Diamond Belt Championship in 2002 at 16, and took second place at Golden Gloves in 2003 at 17.
“I joined the U.S. Navy to repay a debt,” said Shvets. “The U.S. took my family in, Soviet Union Jewish refugees, and welcomed us into this great nation. The only way to repay that debt was with blood, with my life.”
Shvets joined the Navy in 2004, serving aboard USS Stout (DDG 55), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), USS Forest Sherman (DDG 98), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Normandy (CG 60), and USS Antietam (CG 54). He served as the liaison officer aboard the Russian Udaloy destroyer Admiral Chabanenko in 2010. Throughout his naval career, he has served as communications officer, training officer, liaison officer, weapons officer, and combat systems officer. As Operations Officer aboard Bataan, he is primarily responsible for all Bataan operations and is the liaison with all outside entities to include Amphibious Squadron 8 and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable).
“When I started boxing I was not the greatest. I was always tall, but not gifted with athletic ability,” said Shvets. “I was always the little guy. I was malnourished coming out of the Soviet Union. That didn't stop me from giving my all each and every day. I had to develop my body and that took a lot of time, but I stuck with it. The Navy was similar: ensign years are tough for everyone, it’s like drinking from a fire hose with added responsibility. The same tactic of beating you down in order to build you back up.”
Shvets said he had many factors that fueled his motivation to get better in the ring, such as the support of his family.
“My father was my biggest supporter,” said Shvets. “He went through more than I can ever know. Both he and my grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, always encouraged me that I was capable of anything I put my mind to. Training six times a week, no matter how hard I got knocked down, as long as I stood back up after it was what was important.”
Other lessons that Shvets brought into his naval career from boxing is persistence, progressing every day, and trusting the process in the long term, even when you cannot see the short term results.
“One of the biggest lessons I have learned from boxing can be summarized in one word: grit,” said Shvets. “This is my seventh deployment and each one has its own challenges. From dealing with putting tomahawks into Libya, to dual freedom of navigation operations with the People’s Republic of China, to big top events with all United States Indo-Pacific Command nations in India. All in all, life is a struggle and whether you like it or not, there will always be challenges. You can choose to punch through them or let them clobber you. Keep your chin down and never make a permanent decision under temporary circumstances.”
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• Date Taken: 10.02.2023
• Date Posted: 12.19.2023 09:14
• Story ID: 460290
• Location: AT SEA