Petty Officer 1st Class Alonzo Thomas, from St. Augustine, FL, was selected for promotion to chief petty officer Aug. 19.
Thomas attended St. Augustine High School Center for the Arts (SAHS) and graduated in 2007.
He described what led him to a life in the military.
"I had a partial scholarship for Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL, but I knew that I couldn’t afford the school even with the scholarship, so I decided to join the military instead," he said.
"I left for boot camp in November 2007 and after graduation, my first command USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) in Norfolk, VA, where I decided to become an Aviation Ordnanceman."
After subsequent commands, Thomas explained where he was stationed immediately before reporting to Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command.
I checked into this command in January 2024, coming from Command Pacific Recon Wing One (Combined Task Force - CTF 72) in Misawa, Japan. While I was there, I was in charge of all the P8 Poseidon aircraft in the Area of Responsibility with mission load outs as well as inventory management of issuing, receiving, and processing all ordnance to ensure all aspects were mission capable.
At NMRLC, Thomas is in the Operations Directorate where he contributes to the overall functionality of command mission accomplishment.
Headed by Capt. Christopher E. Barnes, NMRLC develops, acquires, produces, fields, sustains, and provides enduring lifecycle support of medical materiel solutions to the Fleet, Fleet Marine Force, and Joint Forces in high-end competition, crisis, and combat. At the forefront of Navy Medicine’s strategic evolution, NMRLC is well positioned to be the Joint Force’s premier integrated medical logistics support activity.
Thomas said he has been successful in the Navy thus far because he is not afraid to speak up when necessary and he was a go-to person when something absolutely had to get done. Now that he has been selected for promotion to chief petty officer, he will have greater opportunities to lead others in a way that his leadership has been prevalent.
Story orginally posted on DVIDS:
NMRLC Highlights Chief Petty Officer Selectee Alonzo Thomas