The Steward - Paperback

by Armando Abad (Author)

Gabriel Segovia hails from Laguna, Philippines. The youngest son of a wealthy family, he was raised with Christian values of daily prayers, respect, humility, and community service.

Everything is going well for him in his quest for a future as a mechanical engineer until his final year of college. Broken with devastation when a freak accident takes his two childhood friends, he is left wondering what he could have done to save them.

Under the provisions of the Military Bases Agreement between the United States and the Philippines, Filipino nationals are recruited to serve as stewards on US Navy ships. Most Filipinos enlist in the United States Navy for one purpose: an opportunity for a better life. But for Segovia, it is different. He feels the Navy might provide what he needs in search of a panacea for the emptiness and pain that haunt him.

With his family's blessing, he enlists in the Navy. And like most minorities, he faces bigotry and abuse on board the ship. However, his commanding officer develops a certain admiration for him, even inviting Gabriel to a life-changing Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Love abounds, and as other family members grapple with their past, the adventure leads us back to the Philippine islands in search of closure and new beginnings.

A deployment to the Western Pacific during the Vietnam War and a kidnapping motivated by vengeance push Gabriel to the limits of his endurance, faith, and call of duty. His unquestionable courage, his caring for the welfare of others, his unselfishness, and his devotion to God, country, and duty make him an inspiration to his family and his shipmates, touching the lives of many and leaving behind a legacy to be shared with generations to come as he finds peace within himself.