As hard as Tommie and the other Seabees worked, though, there was also time for some R&R around the archipelago, which is known for its pink sand beaches. Bermuda, which is a British territory, consists of seven main islands and is 25 miles long with an average width of one mile.
“All I can remember is the beautiful water,” he says. “I got my diving quals there. We did a lot of diving around the island. I remember building some of those resorts there on the southern side of the island, I believe, and New Year’s Eve at one.
“And of course, back then, the college week, Easter week, down there when college kids came and swamped the island and acted all wild and crazy. That was a lot of fun.”
Tommie, who’s looking forward to visiting the Bermuda Maritime Museum among other things, is still in contact with some of the Seabees in his battalion. He’s told them about the trip and “they want me to make sure I take plenty of pictures of where we were and what we did.”
The Naval Annex closed in 1995, several years after the Cold War ended. Tommie ended up spending 26 years with the Seabees before retiring. He then worked as an OSHA safety instructor and later as a civilian contractor running the motor pool at the naval base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
While he was in Cuba, Tommie met Pamela, a fellow Seabee who was stationed there, and they later married. Of the two, she’s the golfer, shooting in the 90s on a good day and always playing for fun. Tommie likes to drive the cart.
