?»?Dave Decker grew up all over the U.S. and Germany, then enlisted in the United States Navy in 1985 prior to graduating from River Valley High School in Marion, OH.

From 1986 until 1995, Decker served as a Fire Controlman. He attained the rank of First Class Petty Officer and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree before being accepted to the Navy's Officer Candidate Program.

From 1995 to 1997, he was assigned to VT-10 & VT-86 in Pensacola, FL where he earned his Naval Flight Officer wings and then transferred to VS-41 in San Diego, CA where he underwent training to become a Tactical Coordinator and Co-Tactical Coordinator in the S-3B Viking from 1997 to 1998.

In 1998 he transferred to VS-29 Dragonfires, NAS North Island, CA. While stationed with VS-29 LT Decker made one Western Pacific deployment, two detachments to Alaska, and participated in RIMPAC ?€™98 with the USS Carl Vinson.

In 2001 he entered the Combat Systems curriculum at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA and graduated with a MS in Physics in 2003.

LT Decker then accepted orders to VAQ-129, Whidbey Island NAS, WA where he underwent training as an Electronic Counter Measures Officer in the EA-6B Prowler from 2003 to 2004.

From 2004 to 2006 Decker flew with VAQ-135 Black Ravens. While there, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. With the Ravens, LCDR Decker made a deployment to the Arabian Gulf on board USS Nimitz and completed 22 combat sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2006, Decker took orders to AIR 4.5 at Patuxent River NAS, MD as an Avionics Systems Project Officer and worked in PMA-290E as the Integrated Product Team Lead for the EP-3 Mission Management suite. He transitioned from Naval Flight Officer to Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer in 2007 and retired from the Navy in 2010.

During his time at NAVAIR, LCDR Decker also participated in the Earth-Mars Cave Detection Project, a NASA sponsored research project that tested equipment designed to locate cave entrances on Mars.

LCDR Decker?€™s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, two Navy Achievement Medals, two Good Conduct Medals, Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and Rifle Expert Medal.

LCDR Decker met the former Johanna Clinger of San Diego, CA, in 1992. They have been happily married since 1995.