U.S. Military
Forum Leader
Thomas
Thomas joined the Navy straight out of high school after spending the first 18 years of his life as a Navy dependent. He qualified for Nuclear Power training and volunteered for Submarines, following his father and two older brothers to sea. He spent 6 years on active duty in the Navy, two years of training followed by four years onboard a Los Angeles class Fast Attack Submarine out of Pearl Harbor, an experience Thomas recommends for any young sailor.
His four years on sea duty included a West Pac, an East Pac, numerous 42 day ops in the North Pacific and 20 months of hell in Pearl Harbor Naval Ship Yard. Civilian life and college beckoned after six years of active duty and the end of the Cold War, yet Thomas was unable to leave the sea entirely behind. While attending college he stayed in the Naval Reserve and has maintained that affiliation ever since.
In the 11 years since getting off active duty Thomas has been busy. He married a young lady he met in his "hometown" and together they have been blessed with two children. He supported himself, his wife and new family while he and his wife completed their bachelor degrees. He has worked as an electrical assembler, a technician, a field engineer, a design engineer and finally as a research and development engineer. He has worked for large and small companies with both military and civilian customers. He currently works for a company that builds satellites but still moonlights back to a start up agricultural engineering firm and an established naval technology firm when the Naval Reserve is not keeping him busy enough. His travels through the US, Europe, the Far East and Western Pacific have given him a deep appreciation for the liberties and lifestyles enjoyed at home in the US yet he agrees with the idea that there is always room for improvement.
Raised to believe that merit is the basis for the rewards of life, Thomas has little patience for racist or discriminatory viewpoints and believes in hard work being the path to individual fulfillment. He does not suffer bigots, fools or bullies and he enjoys helping people find answers they are looking for.
