Fernandez Lewis "Frank" Ponds (born 1959) is a former

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

officer from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

of Alabama. He is the former commanding officer of the amphibious assault ship and commanded the destroyer in the early 2000s. He is also a former executive officer of the destroyer .

Early life and education

Ponds is originally from

Autaugaville, Alabama Autaugaville is a town in Autauga County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 795. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Autaugaville is located at (32.432563, −86.658752). The ...

and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1982 with a B.A. degree. He later earned an M.S. degree in military studies from the

Marine Corps Command and Staff College Marine Corps University is a military education university system of the United States Marine Corps. It is part of the Naval University System and accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools t ...

, an M.S. degree in information systems technology from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and an M.S. degree in national security strategy from the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

Career

2000s

Ponds is a former executive officer of .

2003

Ponds was the last commanding officer of the , which he commanded from 2001 to when the ship was decommissioned in February 2003.

2007-2009

In 2007, he took command of Amphibious Squadron EIGHT (embarked onboard ), receiving the honorary title of

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

. This period saw him engaged as Mission Commander of anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia; Operation Sea Angel II providing relief hurricane relief efforts in Bangladesh; and Operation Continuing Promise which included additional relief efforts in hurricane ravaged

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

2010s

2015

In April 2015 his appointment as the fifteenth commandant of

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) is a U.S. military joint task force based at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba on the southeastern end of the base. JTF-GTMO falls under US Southern Command. Since January 2002 the command ...

was announced. Ponds retired from the U.S. Navy in late 2015.

Awards and decorations

Ponds has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (four), Meritorious Service Medal (five), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Personal life

Ponds is married and has two children. In the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

, Ponds endorsed

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ponds, Fernandez Lewis 1959 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) People from Autauga County, Alabama University of Alabama alumni Military personnel from Alabama African-American United States Navy personnel Marine Corps University alumni George Washington University alumni National Defense University alumni Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal