Scott Turriff, like many high school seniors, didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life after high school. Serving in the military was not a primary consideration to Scott, although his father served in Vietnam and his grandfather in WWII, both in the Navy.

Little did Scott know, the trip to Washington DC with fellow Wisconsin Lutheran High School seniors would change his life. Scott clearly remembers visiting Arlington National Cemetery. It was there that his family’s military service came to life and had a deep personal meaning for Scott. As he looked around at all the white burial markers, Scott thought, “If they can do it, why can’t I?” On the bus ride back home to Wisconsin, Scott considered his family history of military service and those warriors buried at Arlington. “If they can do it, why can’t I?” Following his return home, Scott joined the Navy in the delayed entry program with the idea of serving for 4 years on active duty, traveling the world, and having the GI Bill to use when he decided to go back to school. Like others who joined for similar reasons, Scott retired from the Navy after 20 years of faithful service.

Scott’s faith was affected early in his Navy career by a senior officer and his wife while he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Attending church for Scott was a challenge as he often had to bum a ride from a fellow sailor who had a car. He couldn’t attend every week due to the challenge of finding rides. One Sunday morning at Resurrection Lutheran Church, this officer asked Scott how he got to church. After Scott told him, he offered to pick him up. He recalled this family driving 30 minutes out of their way on Sunday mornings to pick him up. Scott was humbled by the experience and the love that was shown to him by this family for two years. The time off the base each weekend provided a respite for Scott as he was able to wash his laundry without it getting thrown on the floor by others who needed machines. It was a time that he was able to get away from the guys. Scott treasures this time with his host family and is still in contact with them today.

Another “God moment” happened on October 12, 2000, the day the USS Cole was attacked by Al-Qaeda. Seventeen sailors were killed and thirty-seven were injured in the deadly attack. Scott’s ship was in the Suez Canal the day before and there was speculation that his ship, the USS Supply, was the intended target. Scott, who was then serving on the ship working on radar systems, saw God’s hand involved in the incident.

Scott considered his time as a Navy recruiter to be one of the most impactful, a role he held for over half his career. He is still in contact with some of those he recruited into the Navy. They call him to update him on promotions or specialty schools they graduate from. Scott considers these updates to be his reward for recruiting duty. He felt he could still affect people’s lives in a positive way as a recruiter. Scott recalls one young man, Harold, who came to his office to enlist. He could not provide all the documents necessary to complete enlistment because they were at his home, behind yellow police tape. Scott then found out that Harold’s cousin had been shot in a drive by the day before. It was through situations like this one and others where Scott was positioned to help those who were not as fortunate as he. In his 11 years as a recruiter, he didn’t take his life for granted as he met those who were actively trying to break the cycle of trauma at home.

While stationed in Florida, Scott remembers being approached by a pastor who really had military members on his heart. Pastor Paul Ziemer left a mark on Scott because of his heart for those in uniform. He asked Scott if he would be interested in serving in an organization that would serve younger military service members, the organization that became Lutheran Military Support Group. Scott recalls serving as the Secretary as the organization got started and meeting regularly on Saturday mornings via phone calls. Scott provided a younger perspective to the organization and as a recruiter, knew that most were joining for college benefits instead of service or duty when earlier generations enlisted.

Scott recalled the support he received from his wife, Jennifer, while he was on deployments. He and Jennifer knew each other from high school and got married after she graduated from college, Scott’s third year in the Navy. As LMSG was underway and getting its bearing, Scott recalled that there will always be a need for support of active-duty warriors and Veterans, but especially for spouses. Spouses need support within the church for not only the spiritual component but help with the day-to-day things that come up when the spouse and second parent are gone. Scott recalled, “For service members it’s a job, but the spouse has to maintain the family while we are gone. They didn’t sign up for this, but they do it for us.” The support of spouses and family was especially important to Scott as LMSG was getting started.

Scott and Jennifer now live in South Carolina and have three adult children. Kingsley, their middle daughter, joined the Navy right out of high school as Scott did. She has been a blessing to each congregation that she has attended while in different phases of her training. Thinking back to that special family at Resurrection Lutheran, Scott encourages his daughter to offer a ride to church for those who like him, didn’t have the means. It made a big difference in his life, and he didn’t realize that impact until later.

Written by Brad Price, 2025