By Staff Reporter |

A captain for the U.S. Navy will be inducted into his high school’s hall of fame on September 11.

Navy Captain Kurt Astroth will be in attendance for the induction ceremony in his honor at Mountain Pointe High School.

Astroth serves at U.S. Fleet Forces Command, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. He joined the Navy 22 years ago. 

Previously, Astroth served as commanding officer of the USS Donald Cook. Astroth has served as a surface warfare officer aboard multiple ships: the USSs Boxer, Essex, Chief, Gladiator, Scout, Lake Champlain, and Underwood. 

Astroth was inspired by the men in his family to join the military. His grandfather served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, his father in the Army during the Korean War era, and his uncle served as a naval aviator in Vietnam. 

His family has continued to be a positive source of support in his life. 

Of his service, Astroth said that he has grown to appreciate it as having a meaning deeper than serving his country. 

“When I joined the Navy as a young man, I understood service largely in terms of serving my country,” said Astroth. “After more than two decades, my understanding of service has become much more personal. Service requires sacrifice. When you are young, it is difficult to fully appreciate what that means. Over a career, sacrifice becomes time away from family, missed events and milestones, deployments, and accepting that you will not always have complete control over where you go or when you will return.”

Astroth also stated that his service has rewarded him with the unparalleled opportunity to lead and develop the younger generations coming into service. 

“For me, one of the greatest rewards of service has been the opportunity to lead and develop sailors, and to know that, for a period of time, I had the opportunity and responsibility to make a positive difference in their lives,” said Astroth. “I have served around the world, led sailors at sea, commanded a warship and watched young men and women grow into capable professionals and leaders themselves.”

Astroth was raised in Phoenix and graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in 1999, approximately eight years after the school had first opened. While at Mountain Pointe, Astroth lettered in football, track, and band. Astroth was a percussionist in the high school concert band for all four years. 

Additionally, Astroth participated in the school’s German exchange program and, in turn, hosted three exchange students from Germany. 

Astroth graduated from Mountain Pointe as a member of the National Honor Society. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts, and achieved the Eagle Scout rank. 

Astroth credited his Mountain Pointe High School teachers and coaches, his Boy Scout troop leaders and fellow scouts, and his community at Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe for setting him up for success in his youth.

“Each of those communities gave me opportunities to grow, challenged me in different ways and helped establish values that I carried with me into the Navy,” said Astroth. 

Tomika Banks, Mountain Pointe High School principal, told Astroth in a letter that his leadership and service to the community warranted his memorialization within the halls he once walked. 

“This is a well-deserved recognition of your years of outstanding leadership and service to the Mountain Pointe Community, and an acknowledgment that you exemplified exceptional commitment to our school and students,” said Banks.

Astroth’s induction ceremony is scheduled to occur on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at 5:15 p.m. in the gym lobby. Astroth will also be recognized at 6:30 p.m. on the football field prior to the school’s varsity football game.

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