Alumni Spotlight: Lt. Cdr. Thomas “Tom” Rancich USN Ret.’84
10/8/2026 10:55:00 AM | Block S Club
Think about the hardest practice you've ever had. Maybe it was an exhausting conditioning practice on a hot summer or day or maybe it was a series of lifting workouts combined with an individual workout before practice. Now imagine your hardest workout, but 10 times harder. That's what it's like being a Navy SEAL. Approximately 40,000 people are recruited by the Navy each year. Only 10% of candidates successful complete the full training pipeline to become a Navy Seal and Thomas "Tom" Rancich '84 is one of them.
Before entering the military, Tom was a member of the Syracuse Orange Swimming team and earned his bachelor's degree in English. Many people get into military service because of their desire to protect and serve. Tom, however, joined the Navy because he didn't really know what to do after college. At the age of 23, Tom enlisted in the Navy's Officer Candidate School. He received his commission in 1985. Little did he know that 17 years after he got into the Navy, he'd become a Navy SEAL special ops officer.
During Tom's service, he became an expert in Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and received a Bronze Star for Service, and for his command of a Navy Special Forces in Afghanistan. He was also held distinguished posts such as the United States Navy's Lead on Counter Terrorism and the Commander and Chief Atlantic Fleet, Head Security Officer.
PTSD is a common occurrence amongst military servicemen and women. About 7% of all veterans experience PTSD in their lifetime, with rates reaching up to 29% for those who served post-9/11. Two years after 9/11, Tom led the first team of SEALs into Iraq to help secure the pipelines. The concern at the time revolved around the harbor being polluted and seawater de-salination plants going offline. Later, he joined additional military forces in Afghanistan to support group operations.
The courage Tom displayed when he joined the Navy and later the Navy Seals, continued later in life when he humbly spoke to local media about the impact of PTSD on returning servicemen and even issues that impacted his life. When he retired from the military, Tom continued to connect with veterans while living in Martha's Vineyard. Tom met with veterans in a PTSD group to help adjust and understand the transition from war to civilian life. After his service, he continued to serve his community by co-founding VRhabilis in 2007. VRhabilis is a company that specializes in the removal of ordnance bombs. Within four years of the companies existence, they had recovered 114 pieces of World War II ordnance from when Martha's Vineyard was used as a training ground.
Tom led fulfilling life, impacting many people across the country. Sadly, Tom passed by natural causes in 2023, but he is Orange Forever.
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