John Foster served in the U.S. Navy from 1973 until 1989. During this time he flew as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator (AW) with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Two (HS-2), embarked aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise CVN-65, taking part in “Operation Frequent Wind”, the evacuation of the American Embassy in Saigon.

In 1984, John Foster left flying as an AW and began working as an Ocean Systems Technician Analyst in the SOSUS community. He served at two different SOSUS facilities before leaving active duty in 1989. For a short while after leaving active duty he served in the Naval Reserve with Mobile In-shore Warfare Unit 105 (MIUWU- 105). In the winter of 2000 the John Foster returned to active duty with the U.S. Navy as a Sonar Technician (Surface) and completed twenty years of active Naval service at an Integrated Under Sea Surveillance (IUSS) facility where he completed his qualifications as an IUSS Specialist and Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist. John Foster retired from active service in the summer of 2004.  John Foster is the author of Fairbanks Risen.

According to the book description of Fairbanks Risen, “An Emperor's Grandson befriends a Soviet Agent. They team up to develop the world's most formidable submarine and embark on a mission to force the United States to relinquish its strangling occupation of his homeland and return honor to his family name. The successful sinking of two U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers, two Los Angeles Class Nuclear Submarines, two Soviet Nuclear Submarines, a Soviet Spy Ship, and a Soviet Aircraft Carrier bring the two Super Powers to the brink of Nuclear War.

At first it seems as if the Grandson's plans may succeed, but the efforts of two unknown Acoustic Analysts trip the scales in favor of the U.S. Navy. Ocean Systems Technician Analyst First Class Mike Moran, a not so well thought of Acoustic Analyst in the Ocean Surveillance System, stakes what is left of his reputation and Naval Career on a theory concerning a never found sunken Los Angeles Class Submarine, the U.S.S. Fairbanks, After informing his Military Superiors of his analysis of the situation, he gains an ally in Dr. Larry Labon, the senior Acoustic Analyst at the Naval Intelligence Systems Command and together they set out to find the Fairbanks and either take her back or sink her before she destroys the entire U.S. Naval Fleet.”