My Story - Tales of Valor and Military Life with Jeremiah Tomko (Part 1) | Episode 135

My Story - Tales of Valor and Military Life with Jeremiah Tomko (Part 1) | Episode 135

Chapter Markers
0:00 Military Service and Career Advancement
13:17 Military Accomplishments and Service Pride

Ever wondered how military service shapes lives both personally and professionally? Join us as we sit down with Jeremiah Tomko, a US Navy veteran and board member of Voices for Voices®. Inspired by his family's legacy and a pivotal high school encounter, Jeremiah takes us through his decision to join the Navy and the profound impact of this choice. From the critical role of the Navy in national defense to his firsthand experiences aboard the USS Baton, an amphibious assault warship, Jeremiah offers a captivating glimpse into the daily lives, operations, and missions that define a Navy service member's journey.

But that's not all. Jeremiah shares the rigorous physical prep required for military service, shedding light on the significance of swimming skills for Navy and Coast Guard recruits. We also celebrate his career milestones, from his early days at boot camp in 2002 to earning the prestigious Good Conduct Medal. His dedication in roles such as a culinary specialist and supply management expert garnered commendations, highlighting the pride and mental health benefits that come with military recognition. Tune in for a deeply inspiring conversation about honor, commitment, and the indomitable spirit of those who serve.

Voices for Voices® is the #1 ranked podcast where people turn to for expert mental health, recovery and career advancement intelligence.

Our Voices for Voices® TV show and podcast is all about teaching you insanely actionable techniques to help you prosper, grow your self worth and personal brand.

So, if you are a high achiever or someone who wants more out of life, whether mentally, physically or spiritually, make sure you subscribe to our podcast right now!

As you can see, the Voices for Voices® show publishes episodes that focus on case studies, real life examples, actionable tips and "in the trenches" reports and interviews from subscribers like you.

If that sounds like something that could help you grow personally or professionally, then make sure to join me by subscribing!
—
Thanks for listening and watching!

Support Voices for Voices®: LoveVoices.org

#Newepisode #newpodcastalert #podcastseries #podcastinterviews #podcastlife #podcastcommunity #podcasthost #voicesforvoicespodcast #healthandwellness #podcasthost #applepodcasts #applepodcast #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #googlepodcasts #amazonpodcast #itunespodcast #listening #podcastlove #youtubepodcast #people #apple #work #buzzsproutpodcast #peersupport
#VeteranStories #MilitaryLife #NavyVeteran #VoicesForVoices #MilitaryJourney #MilitaryService #NavyLife #Podcast 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. I am Justin Allen Hayes, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices. Voices for Voices is the number one ranked podcast and TV show where people turn to for expert mental health recovery and career advancement. Intelligence recovery and career advancement intelligence. Our Voices for Voices show is all about teaching you insanely actionable techniques to help you prosper, grow your self-worth and personal brand. So if you are a high achiever or someone who wants more out of life, whether mentally, physically or spiritually, make sure to subscribe and follow our podcast and show right now. As you can see, the Voices for Voices show publishes episodes weekly that focuses on case studies, real-life examples, actionable tips and in-the-trenches reports and interviews from subscribers just like you. If that sounds like something that could help you grow personally or professionally, then make sure to join me by subscribing and following, and tell a friend or two that that would be helpful.

Speaker 1: 1:27

This episode is exciting for a number of reasons, so we're going to. We're going to jump, jump right in. We have an in-studio guest. He is a board member for us at Voices for Voices. For us at Voices for Voices, we met probably maybe just over a year ago at a mental health function, and from that point we stayed in contact. We chatted and thought that his experience and knowledge would be helpful not only to us as an organization to learn, but to to you, our valued listeners or viewers. So jeremiah tomko is our uh in studio guest and he has a wealth of information and we're excited to be able to share that with you. We haven't had much content on our shows around the US military. Being a veteran, what that means, serving your country and being, you know, a US citizen. Being a US citizen, that has really put their life on the line for our country. So Jeremiah is going to dive into that. He was a member of the US Navy. So, jeremiah, thanks for joining us today.

Speaker 2: 3:02

Hi Justin, Thanks for having me here. It's an honor and a privilege to be here on the Voices for Voices show.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Absolutely so for the viewers and listeners and even for me. Can you give a little background on the US Navy, on what it is?

Speaker 2: 3:23

Absolutely Well. You know there's different branches in the US military. So way long ago you know we on the ground, so you know the Navy was just one of those things that was needed to implement.

Speaker 1: 3:53

Yeah, to have all that in the water as well as on land and air.

Speaker 2: 3:59

Right due to, I think, a lot of probably pirates at the time. You know due to like the cargo ships. And then also you know United States. You know with Great Britain you know there was a lot of issues and then you know, coming from Britain to the US to establish around this time was the 13 colonies. So that was a huge part right there, the Navy, as far as protecting the land. So how?

Speaker 1: 4:33

did your interest in the Navy versus the other branches?

Speaker 2: 4:37

how did your interest in the Navy come about in enlisting Well, as a child, you know, I knew on my mom's side my grandfather was in the World War II Air Force and he was an officer commissioned officer that is and he ended up being a pilot and he flew over the Himalayas in India, which was a great accomplishment back in World War II. Also, my mom's brother happened to be in the Navy. So you know, when you grow up you hear about different family members that were in the military. So it's one of those things that, as you grow up, what do I want to do when I grow up? Some people want to be a firefighter, some people say they want to be a police officer or different things like that. I guess those things just instilled in me personally. And in high school a recruiter came, a Navy recruiter that is. And you know I was like well, you know, maybe I should try this to make a career out of it to make a career out of it.

Speaker 1: 6:05

So I'm just trying to back up and think. So when we talk the Navy, there's aircraft, carriers and submarines. Are those considered the same thing in the Navy or are those separate branches? I'm just trying to get in my head oh yeah, like different ships. Yeah, like ships versus the submarines. Which one were you in? Are both of those classified as Navy?

Speaker 2: 6:31

Besides, obviously, the pilots and those yeah, submarines, they went under the water and things like that. Yeah, I was not a submarine. Okay, though, in boot camp I didn't meet someone who was going to a, so he was much shorter than me, you know. So I don't know if there's any qualifications or criteria for subs, but I think I would have been too tall.

Speaker 1: 7:02

What now thinking I Just as you're enlisting. Have you ever been on a ship before enlisting?

Speaker 2: 7:12

Yeah, growing up maybe like a pontoon boat down on the riverfront in Calga Falls. I think they still do that. I think that's as far as boat worthy, or ship worthy. Rather, that's the only thing that was on. Before I joined the Navy I was on the USS Baton LHG-5. It's an amphibious assault warship. It was commissioned September 20, 1997. Oh, wow, so they're part of the WASP group. That style Smaller than a carrier. A carrier has about 5,000 crew total and a longer flight deck. So the amphibious assault warships are a little shorter of a flight deck and their primary use is supply and to transport. You know anywhere from Marines, army even. You know all their equipment helicopters, humvees, tanks. There was special berthing for the US Marines on the ship, separate from the Navy's berthing, and they could load. I think at one point I'm thinking we had 3 or 4,000 Marines on board. Between dropping off and picking up on a deployment. A lot of missions involve transportation.

Speaker 1: 9:00

Now, one thing I think is interesting and cool. There are different types of aircraft, but one of the types of aircraft, the Harrier, that is interesting in itself just because of the difference, one of the main differences, between that particular aircraft and others. Can you just describe maybe what the Harrier is and maybe what the differences could be that you're able to share?

Speaker 2: 9:34

Yeah, when I was on the USS Baton Hill HT-5, they had the AV-8B Harrier and they could actually levitate up and down if need be, up and down if need be. That was significant from other planes in our military.

Speaker 1: 10:00

Meaning they didn't have to have a runway per se that they could, like you said, levitate Right, so almost like a helicopter.

Speaker 2: 10:04

There's a picture right here actually. Okay, so you can view that. Yeah, that's weird.

Speaker 1: 10:06

There's a picture right here, actually Okay, so you can view that.

Speaker 2: 10:08

Yeah, that's weird. Yeah, we were very proud to have Harriers on our USS Patalyn G5. So a lot of people do enjoy those as well as the Blue Angels. Wow, another favorite Navy plane.

Speaker 1: 10:26

Yeah, yeah. Every year they do their tour of the EOS. It just looks very scary how close they're able to get without touching and causing a collision. Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 10:45

And, by the way, the USS Baton LHT-5, when I was enlisted it was based out of Norfolk, virginia, naval Station NOB and it's actually still at the home port to this day. And, by the way, naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the US and then I think Pearl Harbor is probably the largest base, I believe.

Speaker 1: 11:19

Now your service, just to level the set, your active service. What time frame was that?

Speaker 2: 11:28

Okay, great question. So I actually, when I was searching for what to do for a career in life in high school, the recruiter actually came to my school, former Talmadge Christian Academy. That was, I think, around 99 or 2000. So I joined what they call a DEP program DEP so it's a program anybody can do while waiting to go. So whether it be in high school or after high school, and just they're trying to just figure out you know what they want to do in life. So the recruiter works with you with physical readiness to make sure you're physically ready and there's something called an ASVAB test you've got to take I've heard about that and you have to pass and it's not only used for the military but non-military purposes as well. So anybody interested definitely get yourself physically in shape and look up the ASFAB and make sure you're studying that, because that's very important, depending what you want to do, because the scores. So I did the debt program for about two years prior to joining the military, which I think makes a difference.

Speaker 1: 12:56

Yeah, when you talk about getting in shape, can you just mention how Because there's so many different ways, whether it's yoga, pilates, bench pressing, running those types of things yoga pilates, bench pressing, running those types of things what would be most beneficial for somebody looking for the career aspect of the military? Great, question.

Speaker 2: 13:19

So anybody whether it be Navy, army, air Force, marines, coast Guard you definitely want to have your push-ups in practice. Sit-ups, running and even pull-ups would be ideal Swimming, especially for the Navy and Coast Guard. That is definitely important to know how to swim. I don't think it's imperative. They say they'll teach you, but it is good you know. Go down to the Y or your local swimming area and definitely get signed up if you don't know how to swim. If you're going to join the military, regarding Navy or Coast Guard, Great.

Speaker 1: 14:05

So let's move into some of the accomplishments. You have many certificates, many acknowledgments. You have a medal that you were presented with. Can you talk about that and then what that means to you, like when you would get a certificate or you get a medal, how that would make you feel, because we all have emotions and so I'm sure that might make you feel a little bit different than just a regular day. So, as much as you're able to, to share, as far as absolutely recognition, to show that you know they're able to be recognized in a individual and potentially group way.

Speaker 2: 14:56

Well, we'll start with boot camp. So around August 2002 was the inception, when I left. You go up to Cleveland, called MEPS to get sworn in Okay. You go up to Cleveland, called MEPS to get sworn in Okay. And then they sent me to Chicago and you did boot camp. I believe it was about two months, okay. And then I passed.

Speaker 2: 15:24

Yeah, some people, I think, find it more difficult than others and it's a lot of work. It's a lot of exercise, constantly exercising, push-ups, marching, and they always educate. In the military You're always training, always educating. So they went over military history, amongst other things as well, shooting range, and so that was in August. So I passed boot camp up there in Chicago and then my rate in the military was a culinary specialist. Formerly it was a mess specialist Any old school navy there would know and it transitioned around the time I actually joined. I don't have that specific date, but somewhere around the time I joined they did a transition between mess specialist to culinary specialist. Attend what's called Kendall College in Chicago, as opposed to the Navy Culinary Training Institute they use in Texas.

Speaker 1: 16:53

And is that this certificate here?

Speaker 2: 17:12

Yeah, so that certificate shows that I had gone through all the training any class between nutrition, baking, regular cooking classes, knife skills. There was even a fine dining kind of class. We had to know how to serve as well, and, amongst some other, I think some management was in there Because we had to be able to manage the kitchen, you know, at any time, you know, okay. So actually, while I was waiting to go to kendo because you was a, there was a waiting period. Okay, they had, you know, different classes. That and I forget how many was maybe maybe 10 to 20 students for class, because it was new this is all new. So they were just like treading the waters, trying to figure out how they're gonna do this that they implement. So I did a semen apprenticeship training course right here, and that was 19 November 2002 when I received this certificate right here. Awesome. Then after I did that, I think this one was completed in January 17, 2003. So, as you know, it's 2002 ending there. I did that training then merged to the culinary and this was all in the vicinity and we were actually a bust. I believe it was approximately an hour between the base at Great Lakes to the actual college, so the college for me was in Evanston. Now it's in another area, chicago. They had relocated, so those were a couple accomplishments there.

Speaker 2: 19:10

It looks like in March of 2005, we did something called a supply management assessment, sma, and I was commended for for a clean ship, galley area, mess, mess, decks, that's, that's all the kitchen and and and those areas of the wardroom mess, they called it. So we're all the Commission officers spend time. We were faithful in what we did and I'll tell you this the baton honor, courage and commitment was very important. That's actually part of the seal. So we were committed to 98.48% SMA score. That's excellent and that's what that is there. Then in November I was promoted to a U4 rank after passing the test. Of course, they just didn't give supervisor roles to anybody. You had to earn that. So that was also commended right there.

Speaker 1: 20:30

I think this one is one of the most important right.

Speaker 2: 20:33

Oh yeah, not everybody gets this, and you would know that, because when someone's in their their dress uniform after so many years, they either have red or gold stripes. So if they've been in trouble bad conduct in the military and they've been in a long time, and you'll see some red, red stripes instead of gold, so that's a medal earned and good conduct, the medal.

Speaker 1: 21:08

are you able to speak about what that is that you received?

Speaker 2: 21:14

Oh yeah, I never had any bad conduct while serving in the US Navy. I believe that's every three years. If you can quote me, I believe that's every three years, don't quote me. And for every, I believe, three years, a star is added to that medal.

Speaker 1: 21:37

Wow, it's incredible, the service plus all the accomplishments within the service. I think that's important. I think I see what the way the world is today different views. It's important to share the positives that go on on a daily basis, absolutely, because so many people, whether they're going to school or they're at a job in corporate, they may not get accomplishments or recognize, and that can be a big thing, especially as we talk about mental health and as we'll get in the next episode. Can we just talk? We actually only have a couple minutes. This episode's really gone quick, which tends to happen. Can you talk just a little bit about what being a US military active member and now veteran means to you?

Speaker 2: 22:53

Absolutely. I took pride in what I did joined the service. It wasn't an easy task Working long hours, very hard work, work in long hours, very hard work. You've got to stay focused and you've got to stay positive because there's times it can get to you and having support on the ship is important. So anybody out there, if you're interested in joining the military, definitely try to join with a buddy. There's a buddy system that they have. Find a mentor. Just stay positive, Stay involved in good things on the ship. Working out. It's a great coping mechanism due to the stress of working long hours, lack of sleep and high demand. The military is very demanding when it comes to 110%.

Speaker 1: 23:57

It's very important. So how does that make you feel that you, so you can kind of step back a little bit from your active duty days? How does that make you feel, just emotionally, as you sit back and think about that active service and then now being a veteran with so many other honorable individuals across the nation?

Speaker 2: 24:26

vulnerable individuals across the nation. I'm definitely very grateful for what my, for what the Navy has done for me Regarding, you know, just being on the ship, having that experience. We were a morale booster. So even now I try to do the same encourage people you know to do well. And, yeah, I'm definitely very grateful to be a US military veteran, given my life for this country Not just me or you, the whole country. I was out there, a part of all the missions that we did. Absolutely it feels great. To serve the country.

Speaker 1: 25:22

My grandparents my one grandpa was in the infantry, the other was a gunner and my dad was in the reserve. So, not having been in the service myself, but realizing the sacrifice that they made, uh is is incredible. So to obviously meet you, have you on on the show to share your experience and I and uh being on the board, uh continuing to share your, your passion, your, your commitment to, to others. Yes, sir, from the rest of the board members and just personally, thank you for all you've done and you continue to do. Thank you for your service. You're welcome. Thank you very much, everyone, absolutely, and thank you, our listeners, our viewers, for joining us in this episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. I am your host, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices, justin Allen Hayes. Thank you for being a part of this episode and until next time, please be a voice for you or somebody in need.