MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Brown, a native of Bondurant, Iowa, was selected as the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) East Region, Far East Sea Sailor of the Year while serving aboard USS Frank Cable (AS-40) in Apra Harbor, Guam.
The MSC East Region, Far East Sea Sailor of the Year is an annual award given to recognize an outstanding first-class petty officer or top enlisted sailor. The honor highlights exceptional professional skill, leadership and dedication to mission success in the Indo-Pacific region.
Brown graduated from Bondurant-Farrar High School in 1999. Additionally, Brown earned an associate’s degree in paralegal studies in 2022, and a bachelor’s degree in apparel merchandising, design and production in 2024.
Today, Brown serves as a legalman (LN).
“I’m excited about winning Far East Sailor of the Year because it shows that legalmen can compete at the same levels as the other rates in the Navy,” Brown said. “I joined the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps community because I wanted to do something impactful with my Naval career, and being a legalman has fulfilled that desire more than I could have asked for.”
Brown joined the Navy 11 years ago.
“I joined the Navy because I wanted to do something better with my life than where I found myself at 34,” Brown said. “I come from a line of men who have served and carrying on this tradition is very important to me.”
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those learned during Brown’s childhood.
“My father retired from the Army after 26 years, so I never really had a hometown I grew up in,” Brown said. “But what I learned from moving around so much was resilience. You have to take the bad with the good, and sometimes, you just need to hunker down and ride it out. That experience also instilled a strong work ethic in me, and it’s something that’s helped me succeed in the Navy.”
Frank Cable, an expeditionary submarine tender forward deployed to the island of Guam, is manned by a hybrid crew of sailors and civilian mariners and provides critical expeditionary maintenance capabilities, temporary berthing services and logistics support to deployed submarines and surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.
Frank Cable is underway supporting the U.S. 7th Fleet operating with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Its primary clients are the Los Angeles-class attack submarines homeported in Guam, but the ship can also provide repair and logistic services to other Navy ships like cruisers and destroyers.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Brown has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy was being named Far East Sailor of the Year and earning a spot in the Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Sailor of the Year competition,” Brown said. “But beyond the recognition, it’s been about passing on what I’ve learned to others. Whether through teaching Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist courses or mentoring LN converters, I believe knowledge isn’t meant to be kept, it’s meant to be shared. If I don’t pass it on, it’s just a secret and I want to see others succeed just as much as I have.”
“There are days when I get up, put on my uniform, look at myself in the mirror, and can’t believe I get to do this every day,” Brown said. “Serving in the Navy changed my life and turned it around. I honestly thought I would be a one-contract-and-done sailor, but here I am, 11 years in, loving what I do.”
Brown is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“There are so many people to thank,” Brown said. “First, my parents, who supported me at 34 when I told them I wanted to join the Navy. My sister and her family, who have always been there for me. And then there are David Jude and Astrid, my two best friends in the world. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. They’ve been my rock, offering encouragement and love through both the good times and the hard ones.”