Military Background
March 1, 2026
Earning a Top Secret Security Clearance by the FBI at the age of 19, Mike served as an IT for the United States Navy from July 17th, 2007 to July 16th, 2011, and exited the military at the rank of E4.
He served two GWOT (Global War On Terrorism) deployments to the Middle East during his term: one at the Naval Computer Telecommunications Station (NAVCOMTELSTA) in Bahrain for his first deployment and one on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (also known as “the Ike”).
He earned a…
- Navy Good Conduct Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and
- Two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons
While Manama, Bahrain was known as a “party city” in the Middle East to the wider military population, Norton’s unique role in counterterrorism earned him an expeditionary medal for assisting with Top Secret satellite communications for the President of the United States, all naval ships in the Middle Eastern theater, and all communications for all deployed units (including special forces operations and airstrike targeting) for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Airforce.
This was due to Bahrain not merely being a party city but, in actuality, doubling as a staging point for all maritime and ground anti-terrorism operations flying and sailing in and out of the entire Middle Eastern theater from Iraq to Afghanistan. Norton earned certifications on every piece of COMSEC equipment across NAVCOMTELSTA.
He also volunteered for extra duty on the Emergency Response Team (ERT), cross-training with other branches of the military, where he was trained to rappel from burning buildings in war-torn areas to rescue wounded civilians and fellow American veteran personnel as a member of ERT’s Tech-Rescue division.
On his DD214 and eval reports, Norton was described by his chains of command as an (quote) “exceptional operator” by Chief Workman, R K, ITC (SW/AW). “Petty Officer Norton continues to work to improve himself and to be a valued member of CS-1 Division. His dedication and work ethic will ensure his continued success in future endeavors.”
However, his peers would say it more crassly, “Norton’s one of those kinds of people who are, you know, so smart…they’re a little fuckin’ crazy?” A statement corroborated by the truth of his ASVAB score, which was several standard deviations higher than what was needed to become a Naval Nuclear Engineer.
…which leads into the sadder story of Norton’s deployments that can be buried by the surface-level glowing reviews in his eval reports:
While it was true that Norton was known for being exceptionally talented in whatever he set his mind to, with top performance marks during his first deployment, he struggled with his mental and emotional health severely during his second deployment, leading to significant social problems between him and his peers.
He had sustained an accumulated combination of mental and emotional wounds during his first deployment that led to a psychological collapse during his second, which was no fault of his Ike chain of command. Norton endured a collapse that would take years of therapeutic experiences to recover from.
A deep dive into Norton’s history will reveal people who both loved and resented Norton, depending on which deployment one researches and the nature of their interactions.
However, as evidenced by his Naval Good Conduct medal and honorable discharge, Norton managed to stay out of any serious trouble during the mentally harder times of his service.
Overall, it is fair to say in summary, from the bird’s eye view of both deployments throughout his entire term combined, Norton was neither a noble hero (though, he had his moments) nor a total “dirtbag” (though, he had his moments of those as well).
He was an extraordinary talent, a fusion between both sailor and soldier, who served his country honorably but also suffered from unseen wounds.
