Fairfax City Resident First Mexican-American Captain to Command a Major Warship

It’s been a long journey from the small town of Long Pine, Calif. to Fairfax City for retired United States Naval Captain John Frank Gamboa. He recently published a book entitled "El Capitan" to chronicle his journey, during which he became the first Mexican-American to command a major warship in the rank of captain.

“The primary motivation was that it was a free education and I was the first member of my family to go to college,” said Gamboa, reflecting on his decision to enter the naval academy in the 1950s. “When I got to the naval academy one of my three roommates was [former presidential election runner-up] John McCain, and he influenced me tremendously on the navy, as did his parents.”

Born in 1933 in Cartago, Calif. to Mexican immigrants who came to America to escape the violence of the Mexican Revolution at that time, Gamboa attended East Los Angeles Junior College and then Los Angeles City College. After graudating, he received a principal appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in March of 1954 from Senator William F. Knowland, who was the senate majority leader from California at the time.

In 1958 he became one of the first 20 Mexican American Naval Academy graduates in the 1958 graduating class.

Despite the prevalence of prejudice that existed in America during the time, Gamboa said he never experienced any racism during his career in the navy.

“Neither at the naval academy nor in the navy did I ever encounter any ethnic or racial prejudice,” said Gamboa. “Culturally it was a little bit lonely because I never served with other Mexican Americans and I enjoy my Hispanic culture tremendously, but as I got older I got used to it.”

In 1964 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Engineering from the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., and six years later he earned a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Maryland while serving as a communications plans officer with the National Communications System in Washington D.C.

He went on to finish his last three years of active duty in the District of Columbia with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

“When I retired here and got a job here I liked being close to the Naval Academy,” said Gamboa. “We settled here, lived in Alexandria in Montebello condos and decided we liked to live in a regular house so we started house hunting and found a good house here in the City of Fairfax and we’ve been here ever since.”

Read more about Gamboa’s exciting career as the first Mexican American to command a Navy warship in "El Capitan," with a foreword from McCain. For more information about Gamboa and his book, check out his website.