Harpswell native, David Taft, a commander in the U.S. Navy, has been given command of the destroyer USS Higgins, which was built at Bath Iron Works.
Taft is a 1995 graduate of Mt Ararat High School and graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1999 with a degree in Anthropology and Environmental Sciences. He was commissioned as an Ensign after completion of Officer Candidate School in 2000.
Taft, a graduate of Mt. Ararat High School, has been decorated several times, including the Meritorious Service Medal (twice), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four times), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Award (three times, and various service and campaign awards.
The USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is home-ported in San Diego, California. The 505-foot-long vessel saw action in 2018 in a bombing campaign against Syria in response to that nation’s use of chemical weapons.
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