Tomas In The Navy

That's right, Tomas is a proud veteran of the US Navy. Tomas served as a Surface Warfare Officer for about five long, er.... wonderful years. Tomas signed up after graduating from good ole Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California.

By the way, since I've put the above graphic on this page, I need to include this official disclaimer: Neither the Department of the Navy nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, endorsed, or authorized this activity.

 

First, we start with my steamin' buddy, Douglas P. Mitchell. He was a graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis MD. A good guy, with whom I have, unfortunately lost touch. Doug, where are you? In this photo, we are on watch (relaxed) while entering Bombay, India.
	As you veterans know, the recruiter is one lying son of a b**ch. But one thing the Navy recruiter did not lie about was seeing the world. He delivered on that one. Here we see an arch erected in Bombay in honor of King George V who was to make a visit in the 1930s (I think).
Unfortunately, I was also brought face to face with the down side of visiting other places: I got to see just how fortunate I have been in my life. Here we see Doug next to a young man who is on his own at the tender age of four or five. Count your blessings, denizens of the Boiler Room.
	But then again, right across the street is the Taj Mahal Hotel that has been around for over 100 years. Many famous folk visit it each and every day. You've probably seen it in movies set in India. With such opulance like this in the cultural heart of Bombay, you'd think that India itself would reach out to these kids. Maybe someday.
But, enough time on the soap box. Here we see another of Tomas' mates. J. Mike Scukas. This photo was taken in a Singapore art gallery where some monk was writing out glyphs and selling them for big bucks. Scukas bought one. I think it translated to "I'm a Tourist".
	Here we see a young quixotic man who served aboard the Marvy-Do. His name was Chatman (Robert?). He always hated the Navy, but when push came to shove, I think he re-enlisted. He always had a borderline haircut, smoked clove cigarettes, and listed to alternative music. Did not fit any molds. I like the photo, though.

Finally, here are some photos taken during an underway replenishment. If you are interested, I can give you the details on them, just ask! These images are reduced on this page. Just "view" them to get the full size image (right click, then "view").