Mercer Island native Lieutenant Commander Stephen E. Majewski was honored with a ceremony for his retirement from the U.S. Navy last month in Bremerton, Wash.

Majewski graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1985.

He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and received his commission in May 1990. After completion of flight training in Pensacola, Fla., he reported to HSL-44 in Mayport, Fla., to pilot the SH-60B “Sea Hawk” helicopter. He completed two Mediterranean deployments and numerous smaller detachments.

Majewski earned his Master of Science in 1999 from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he transitioned to the Naval Reserve as a TAR and after graduation reported to HS-75 in Jacksonville, Fla., flying both the SH-3 “Sea King” and SH-60F carrier variant of the “Sea Hawk.”

Majewski left HS-75 in 2001 to pursue his goal of flying the DC-9. He accepted non-flying orders to be the aviation officer at Destroyer Squadron One in San Diego, Calif., where he completed a CARAT deployment in 2002.

In 2003, Majewski reported to VR-61 on Whidbey Island to fly the C-9 “Sky Train.” He became an aircraft commander and completed numerous detachments to Atsugi, Japan, and Sigonella, Italy, as well as two around-the-world missions and countless trips to Bahrain, Hawaii, and the Far East.

In 2006, he was assigned to NAF Washington at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was a Reserve Program Manager and flew the UC-12 “King Air.” While at NAF, Majewski was sent to Afghanistan for seven months to bolster the Army in its fight against IEDs. He taught at UMUC in Afghanistan and the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was an adjunct professor in engineering, and later became the executive officer at NOSC Kitsap. In his spare time, he sat for and passed the Board of Professional Engineers exam in electrical engineering.

Majewski has earned a Joint Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards). He has amassed over 3,500 mishap-free flight hours in a wide variety of aircraft.

Majewski is moving back to Mercer Island and has two children, Johnathan and Lauren.