Naval Commander Paul Brantuas recently got one of the best retirement gifts his family could have given him. When his 8-year-old son wrote the folks over at the Surf Ranch a letter explaining why his father deserved to ride the wave there, they took one look and decided to open up the gates for him. After Brantuas’s family tricked him into thinking they were pulling over to take a family Christmas photo, an employee who was in on surprise informed him that he was on the guest list.
Brantuas is retiring after 20 years of service. It’s been a long and decorated career. He grew up in San Diego, then recieved his commission in May of 1998 from Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida.
Lieutenant Commander Paul Brantuas is a native of San Diego, California. Paul graduated from University City High School in 1990 where he ran track and played football. He attended San Diego Mesa Jr. College and later graduated from San Diego State University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1997. “He has accumulated more than 1500 flight hours and 280 carrier arrested landings,” reads his Blue Angels profile. “His personal decorations include the Strike/Flight Air Medal, Individual Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and various unit and personal awards.”
Brantuas received his commission in May 1998 from Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. He joined up with the Blue Angels in 2007, because he “wanted to know if [he] could rise to the challenge.” Brantuas “saw it as an opportunity to travel the country, meet all kinds of people and have fun.”
He left the Blue Angels in 2009, then headed to the Arabian Sea for Operation Enduring Freedom, which, according to San Diego State University, was the longest carrier deployment in three decades. After six months in the field, they were heading home before being turned around to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.
And after 20 years of service, there may be no one more deserving of a day at the Surf Ranch—and the amazing family that organized it for him.
