Lieutenant junior grade Joshua Bondoc grew up in a military household familiar with traveling, but he always had his parents nearby during the holidays.
Now stationed at Naval Station Mayport just south of the Georgia border, the 25-year-old has spent his recent Thanksgivings away from his family’s brick home in Frederick, Maryland, only able to hear their laughter and see their smiles through a cellphone screen. This year is no different since he joined the Navy to serve his country.
“It’s kind of tough, especially when you see the social media posts of everyone having fun and they call you on FaceTime,” he said. “You have to smile, wave and make the most out of that call. But at the end of the day, it’s part of the job. And they understand that.”
For a year, Bondoc, a public affairs intern, has lived at the Jacksonville, Florida, base after graduating from the University of Maryland’s ROTC program. He was commissioned in 2020 and previously served as a surface warfare officer.
A love of creativity and telling stories has led him down the path of the Navy’s public affairs program, where he hopes to inform others about the military branch and its members. Without people like him, he feels the base would be shrouded in mystery. “I think it’s an underrated cause,” he said.
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
His first Thanksgiving away from his parents was spent alone in his apartment, but things got better. The next was aboard the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, where Bondoc joined fellow sailors and their families in sharing turkey, stuffing and mac and cheese in close quarters. “Like having Thanksgiving with an extended family,” he said.
While he misses his mom’s mashed potatoes, he’s getting used to it and understands the spot at their dinner table will be empty often. Since his parents served in the military, his mom has also learned to cope with being away from her son. It’s never easy, but they understand Bondoc is living out his dreams. This Thanksgiving, he plans on seeing extended family in the city and FaceTiming with his parents again.
His advice to other sailors in a similar situation is to remember “you’re not alone,” he said. “You have a support network through your command or friends that you’ve made down there, so just try your best to enjoy the holidays and find those people around you to make them worthwhile.”
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