PO2 Quinn Tobias Teeter, USN
August 12, 1997 – October 21, 2019
Cryptologic Warfare Activity (CWA) 66
Born on August 12, 1997, Quinn Tobias Teeter was an easy and affectionate baby who distinguished himself from a very early age. He loved his big brother, Vincent, and worked hard to be just like him. From the beginning, they were not just brothers, but criminal cohorts and best friends who spent a fair amount of time watching each other’s backs while committing all the common childhood pranks and some that were not so common. Quinn learned everything he could by his brother’s side while observing the greater world beyond him.
Quinn loved the outdoors. When he was very young, he loved to dig holes in his backyard only to fill them in with water and play in the mud. He was often a real-life Peanuts cartoon strip Pigpen, the kind who had a stream of dust trailing behind him. His love of the outdoors later led him to spend time at the local wetlands and creek preserve. He loved to be outside.
Quinn was a water baby from birth. It didn’t matter what type of water it was, he loved it. Before he was five years old, he was going commando, diving into his grandparents’ pool and swimming for hours at a time—even in the coldest part of winter. This thin child would climb out of the pool, blue and shivering; then he’d dive right back in. He enjoyed frequent trips to the ocean to places like Dillon Beach and Fort Bragg, California. On his recent trip home, he went spear fishing with his brothers, a trip that he greatly enjoyed. He felt most at peace by the water.
Quinn was an excellent student. Initially, he was home schooled; then he attended two Montessori schools where he excelled, his achievements and skills academically recognized, and he was skipped ahead a grade and a half. School was incredibly easy for him. Later, he attended public school until he realized that the more relaxed hours of homeschooling were a better fit for him.
In high school, Quinn searched to identify and study where his interests lay. Early on, Quinn decided he wanted to work in a field that involved technology, specifically computer technology. At some point, he decided that he wanted to become a cryptologic Technician Networks for the Navy. He wanted to become a hacker. He tailored as many of his school electives as possible to center on computers. He built circuit boards and created alarms to alert him when others were entering his room. He easily hacked a Net Nanny program, giving himself unlimited time online without restrictions. Some of his coworkers informed us that these were typical rites of passage for computer hackers. Apparently even then, Quinn fit the personality type well.
Quinn spent time during high school earning several certificates in his favored field of endeavor: computers. He also spent time preparing to take the ASVAB so that he could earn the scores needed to qualify for the job that he most wanted.
Shortly after Quinn graduated from high school, he enlisted in the Navy with scores in the top one percent of sailors He attended basic training in Illinois in the cold wintery January of 2016.
He attended A school in Pensacola, Florida earning scores that were in the top five ever. He was next stationed at his first choice, Fort Meade, Maryland.
At Fort Meade, Quinn met with great success, earning and receiving numerous awards and recognitions for his outstanding work. Yet despite these awards and recognition, he was a humble, self-effacing individual who was more interested in challenging his mind and solving sophisticated puzzles than he cared about receiving awards. In fact, he seldom even told his family about the awards he won because they didn’t especially matter to him; he appreciated them, but they didn’t make him who he was.
What mattered to Quinn involved what was to him, the thrill of the hunt, solving problems and solving those problems quickly, simply, and creatively. With his uncommon skill set, Quinn achieved a position of responsibility. Quinn also became a mentor, or go-to guy, for some of his coworkers who enjoyed working with him because he possessed a remarkable ability to explain difficult concepts and functions simply and clearly so that those who sought his help didn’t feel stupid after they left him. He was earthy and well liked, getting along well with his fellow sailors. He was an exemplary sailor.
Quinn was a kind, thoughtful giving and loving individual. And for the majority of his short life, Quinn was the consummate, quintessential computer hacker who lived, breathed, drank, ate, and slept computers, both during his work time and at play time. Although Quinn’s workmates spoke highly of him, what stood out most forcibly was a passing comment from one of his fellow sailors who said that Quinn lived for the hunt and that he had only one competitor who could beat him—himself.
State he called home: California
