Geminiano Ramos Bulos

Geminiano Ramos Bulos, 86, of Upland CA, and Las Vegas NV, passed away on July 18, 2023, surrounded by his family, at the Loma Linda VA Medical Center. He was born on September 17th, during the great typhoon of 1936, to Alberto Baltazar Bulos and Raymunda Perez Ramos Bulos in Apalit, Pampanga, Philippines, the youngest of their seven children.
Of all his achievements, what filled Geminiano with the most pride and joy was his service in the U.S. Navy. It provided him with opportunities he could never have imagined as a child surviving war and famine: he ate well, traveled the world, received an education, and felt a sense of belonging and higher purpose.
Geminiano started applying to the U.S. Navy while still in high school. At the time, the United States and the Philippines had agreed to allow the U.S. Navy to increase recruitment of Filipino citizens to 2000 a year. Exhibiting his determined and indefatigable spirit early on, Geminiano launched a personal letter writing campaign to U.S. Navy personnel to be one of those 2000. After two years of writing letters, the last of which was addressed to an admiral, he finally received a "call card" to report for preliminary testing.
Without informing his mother or siblings, Geminiano left college and enlisted at the E1 rank, Seaman Recruit. Like the majority of Filipino recruits, he served as a steward initially, cooking and serving food. Showing resourcefulness and ingenuity, he soon climbed in rank, becoming an Engineman 2nd class while assigned to the AFDM-8, an auxiliary floating drydock for submarines based in Guam. (It was here that he and his good friend and shipmate, Al Estacio, met and courted their future wives, Julita and Sally, then young nurses.)
For most of his active duty years Geminiano was assigned to Submarine Service, working on the USS Bluegill, USS Batfish, USS Gudgeon, USS Sabalo, and USS Harder. Most significantly, he was assigned to the USS Trieste as part of the elite Deep Submergence Group, which was tasked with extending the capabilities of submarines to operate, research and rescue at any depth. He was one of 200 sailors selected to attend the Deep Submergence School in San Diego, CA, where they trained in all operational phases of the USS Trieste, the deep diving research bathyscaphe famous for descending to the ocean floor at the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.
Devotion to his wife and children led Geminiano to retire early from active duty (at 18 years 10 months), but because of his hazard duty, he was able to still receive all the benefits of twenty years active service. He retired at the rank of Engineman Chief Petty Officer with the title of refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic. He continued on with reserve duty and then retired fully from the Navy in 1987, after thirty years of service.
Forever determined and indefatigable, Geminiano continued to work after the Navy. He even returned to school and received an AA degree in refrigeration and air-conditioning, eventually retiring in that field. His last job was as at the Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, CA, where he independently managed all the refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Again showing resourcefulness and ingenuity, he reconfigured their systems to run so much more efficiently that he saved the mall $10,000 a month, enabling them to give everyone bonuses that year.
Geminiano continued to travel the world by sea, cruising with his beloved wife, Julita, on the Royal Caribbean as Platinum members.
Geminiano was predeceased by all his siblings, but is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Julita Bulos; his four children, Maria Jessica Bulos (and spouse, Lorraine Escuro), Michelle Bulos, Gemma Bulos and Burt Bulos; his oldest Navy friend, Al Estacio; and his brother submariners of the U.S. Submarine Veterans Las Vegas Base 51.
The family would like to thank the medical staff at the Loma Linda VA Medical Center, especially those in the ER and ICU, for the extraordinary care Geminiano received since transferring there late last year. We will be eternally grateful for the respectful and generous way in which they served him in his final days. Thanks also to the Inland Empire Caregiver Resource Center for the assistance they provided in his final months, and will continue to provide for his wife, Julita. And lastly, we would like to thank the Bonefish Base Submarine Veterans of Redlands for honoring Geminiano with the Seven Bells salute.
All services will take place in Riverside, CA. Viewings are on August 15th and 16th, 4:00 - 8:00 PM (6:00 tributes; 7:00 rosary), at Preston & Simons Mortuary, 3358 Mission Inn Ave. Funeral mass will take place on August 17th, 10:30 AM, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 4268 Lime St. Burial will follow at 12:15 PM at Riverside National Cemetery (22495 Van Buren Blvd) where Geminiano will receive military honors. He will be laid to rest with his fellow brothers of the 'phin.