Lt. Philip D. Mayer was selected as a winner of the 2019 CNO Naval History Essay Contest in the category of Rising Historian for his essay "Incubate Innovation: The Development of Naval Aviation in the Interwar Period". Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson presented awards to the winners at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy on the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC on July 17. Mayer is currently serving as a first-tour judge advocate at Region Legal Service Office Southeast.  He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Peace, War, and Defense.