Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Seth F. French-Dubois, son of Therese Landean of Auburn, and his fellow shipmates left on a scheduled deployment while assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins, homeported in San Diego.

French-Dubois is one of more than 7, 600 sailors and Marines from Carrier Strike Group 11 and is deployed in the Western Pacific. The primary mission is to provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. USS Higgins is capable of operating independently or as part of a strike group.

French-Dubois joined the Navy in October 2001.