Photo By Michael Wilson | PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Feb. 24, 2026) – Donald Thompson, an air conditioning equipment mechanic with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, observes another mechanic demonstrate how to adjust a refrigeration thermal expansion valve on a training device, Feb. 24, 2026. Thompson assesses mechanics to ensure they can troubleshoot and not just replace parts. PHNSY & IMF’s mission is to keep the Navy’s fleet “Fit to Fight” by repairing, maintaining, and modernizing the Navy's fast-attack submarines and surface ships. Strategically located in the heart of the Pacific, it is the most comprehensive fleet repair and maintenance facility between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East. (U.S. Navy photo by Mike Wilson) see less
| View Image Page
From Mortars to Mentorship: How a Veteran Now Shapes the Shipyard’s Next Generation
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Donald Thompson’s journey to the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility was anything but direct, spanning three decades and three branches of the U.S. armed forces.
Thompson now serves his fourth branch of the military – the Navy – as an air conditioning equipment mechanic at the shipyard. A former Marine mortarman, Air Force Reserve mechanic, and Coast Guard machinery technician, Thompson’s varied career has settled on his current mission: training the next generation of shipyard mechanics.
His military odyssey began in 1979 when, as a self-described "tough guy on the track team," he decided to join the Marine Corps. For four years, he served as a mortarman with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, deploying three times to the Western Pacific.
Ready for a new chapter, he left the Marines after his enlistment to pursue a 'regular job.' It didn't take long for him to realize his infantry experience hadn't provided a marketable trade.
“When I came out of the Marines, I didn't have a paying skill set," he said.
His time in the Air Force Reserve solidified his desire for a career with deep, hands-on mechanical challenges. In pursuit of that goal, he transferred to the Coast Guard and discovered exactly what he was looking for as a machinery technician (MK). Drawing on a strong mechanical foundation from his upbringing on a Texas farm, he excelled in the role. He greatly expanded his expertise by mastering a wide array of systems, including diesel engines, gas turbines, air conditioners, and refrigeration units across the Coast Guard's fleet of cutters and boats.
Upon returning to Hawaii after 27 years of distinguished service in the Coast Guard, Thompson began his next chapter by exploring civilian roles. He lent his talents to supporting children with special needs and repairing tools for Black and Decker, but ultimately found he missed the familiar satisfaction of working on military equipment. This clarity of purpose guided him to his next opportunity at the shipyard in 2013 as an air conditioning equipment mechanic with the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (AC&R) shop. Now in the Continuous Training Department, Thompson assesses mechanics to ensure they can troubleshoot equipment, not just replace parts.
"We don't want them to just be parts changers," he said. "We want them to troubleshoot. Don't tell me that it's broken. Tell me, why is it broken? What are you going to do about it?"
His philosophy is to identify what mechanics know, what they don’t and what they can figure out. He employs flexible teaching methods to explain a concept, whether through "drawing, a physical mockup, or taking something apart," he said.
In 2022, Thompson was recognized by Leo Balan, a 900T AC&R apprentice instructor, "as a subject matter expert in the AC&R trade. He has dedicated countless hours to making relevant changes to the AC&R curriculum and has instructed several advanced shipboard trade theory classes." Balan went on to say that "Mr. Thompson's leadership and technical skill have been invaluable to the piping, insulation, tool room and equipment maintenance shop. He drove significant improvements to the AC&R training program by modernizing lesson plans and fabricating hands-on mock-ups, directly enhancing apprentice learning and benefiting the entire Shipyard.”
Thompson enjoys his work so much that when people suggest he should retire to enjoy life, he tells them, "I'm enjoying my life now."
He advises veterans transitioning to civilian life to use their networks and avoid military jargon when looking at a post-military career.
Looking back on a career that took him to more than 20 countries, Thompson said the experience fundamentally changed him.
"The world's huge. I mean it's got all its differences and ways and cultures and everything else," he said. "But going overseas, it gave me a lot of respect, a lot more grounding, made the world smaller than I would have had if I'd never left Texas."
Ultimately, the mortarman who once lacked a marketable trade now dedicates his life's expertise to building the shipyard's most valuable asset: a skilled and resilient workforce.
PHNSY & IMF’s mission is to keep the Navy’s fleet “Fit to Fight” by repairing, maintaining, and modernizing the Navy's fast-attack submarines and surface ships. Strategically located in the heart of the Pacific, it is the most comprehensive fleet repair and maintenance facility between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East.
