Ansell Scott's Retirement Ceremony
Special Warfare Operator First Class Ansell Scott joined the United States Navy in 2006 at the age of 18. After completing Recruit Training at Great Lakes, Illinois, he reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. After being dropped from training, Ansell attended Hospital Corpsman school and was subsequently assigned tothe 31 Area Branch Medical Clinic at Camp Pendleton, California.
Determined to become a SEAL, Ansell returned to BUD/S in 2009. He successfully completed training with Class 285, graduating in 2011. He then attended the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he qualified as an Advanced Tactical Practitioner.
In 2013, Ansell reported to SEAL Team ONE in Coronado, California, for his first assignment as a SEAL. He initially served as a team medic with Hotel Platoon. His first deployment took him to the United Arab Emirates in 2014 before themission shifted to the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq, where he spent five months.
Following that deployment, Ansell joined Echo Platoon and returned to Iraq in 2016, this time deploying to the Mosul Dam in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. For his actions during this deployment, Ansell was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V.” His final deployment with SEAL Team ONE took him to the Indo-Pacific in 2018, where he trained alongside partner forces from South Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.
In 2019, Ansell reported to Unit 2 in Stuttgart, Germany, where he served as a Country Officer and liaison between U.S.special operations forces and partner nations throughout the Balkans. In this role, he coordinated U.S. training and engagements in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Albania.
Ansell returned to San Diego in 2020 and joined Training Detachment One Air (TRADET-AIR) as a Military Free Fall Instructor. There, he prepared SEAL platoons for deployment by teaching military free fall and parachute tactics. During his time at TRADET-AIR, he earned his civilian Accelerated Freefall (AFF) Instructor rating and attained thequalification of Air Operations Trainer/Examiner (AOTE), the highest air qualification in Naval Special Warfare.
In 2023, Ansell received his final Navy assignment with the Navy Parachute Team. As a member of the team, he traveled throughout the United States and abroad, representing Naval Special Warfare and the Navy through professionalparachute demonstrations.
After 20 years of service, Ansell now begins his next chapter at Stanford University, where he will study engineering. He looks forward to pursuing his passion for aviation and spending more time close to family.