Frank is the son of our oldest friends in Thailand. When I first met Frank, he was perhaps one or two years old, just learning to walk.
He was a gifted child and has become an impressive young man. When Frank was in elementary school, he would follow me around the golf course when I used to play golf in Thailand. Seeing Frank’s interest in golf, his father, Noi, got him a membership at a local driving range, and Frank would practice for hours a day at driving, chipping, sand shots, putting, and so forth. Like most young people, he was very limber and developed a beautiful golf swing, and became a very good golfer. Before long, guys from local country clubs were recruiting him to play on their teams, where he became associated with influential people in the community.
Around this time, it became apparent that Frank was gifted with numbers. His proficiency in math eventually earned him a spot on the Thailand academic Olympic team, which competed against other countries in mathematics and other academic disciplines.
Some combination of raw talent, excellent parenting, influential friends, and strong desire earned him a scholarship to Thailand’s military prep academy, which he attended for four years. Following his years of prep school, I was honored when he asked me to speak, even with my pathetic command of the Thai language, on stage during his graduation ceremony.
Subsequently, he entered the military academy. Unfortunately, about halfway through his years at the academy, he was stricken with stage three cancer. Somehow, the king’s daughter heard of his plight and personally intervened to arrange his care. He had to suspend his education at the academy to attend to his medical issues, but eventually, with the king’s daughter advocating for his treatment, he made a full recovery and is now cancer free. He returned to the military academy to finish his education and was commissioned as an officer in the Thai army.
Frank recently finished flight school training, graduating number one in his class, and is now a helicopter pilot.
I hadn’t seen Frank since 2019, when he accompanied me to Sri Lanka during his recovery period. I was delighted that he took a few day’s leave to see Atsuko and me in Chanthaburi. He is fit as a fiddle with muscles hard as a rock!
Today, he is driving his mom to Bangkok but plans to join us at the beach in Chao Lao tomorrow or the next day for a little R&R before returning to his squadron.
Our Latest Gem Expedition 