One of the co-founders of the National Tea Party Federation, Mr. Bannon served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy, with four years of sea duty onboard the destroyer U.S.S. Paul F. Foster (DD964) with the Pacific Fleet. Mr. Bannon served as Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon and was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal for service in the Persian Gulf in 1979 and 1980. A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Mr. Bannon also holds a Masters Degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University with honor as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School with honors. Mr. Bannon lives in Laguna Beach , CA and has a daughter attending The United States Military Academy at West Point .