Tomi Zografos was born on 27 September 1923, the son of Panagiotes (Peter) Zografos (1886–1953) from Nemea, near Korinthos in the Peloponnese, Greece, and Anastasia Zografos (1899–1991), also from Nemea. For more than 15 years, he operated the Lyric Shoeshine Parlor in the Lindell Building before moving the business to the Paulsen Building. Their grandson, and son of Tomi, Greg Zografos, shared their story:

"My grandfather, Panagiotes Zografos, came to the United States when he was a teenager and worked for the railroad, I believe. He was from Nemea. Sometime later, he wrote back to 'the old country' for a wife, and my Yia Yia came over as a 'mail-order bride.' The story goes that they were both disappointed! My Papou had lied about his age, so she was upset that he was older. She, on the other hand, had broken her shoe during the trip, which caused her to limp. Papou was disappointed because he thought 'she was a lame one.' It all worked out, though. He ultimately opened a shoe-shining business in Spokane, Washington."

Anastasia was also very active in the Greek American community. She was a past president and charter member of the Daughters of Penelope in Spokane. After graduating from Lewis and Clark High School, Tomi enlisted in the U.S. Navy on 28 September 1942 at NCAB Seattle, WA. He was selected as a naval aviation cadet on 31 December 1942 through the AvCad V-5 program. Tomi Zografos began his primary flight training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oakland, California, in May 1943, flying the N2S-3 and N2S-4 Kaydet—naval variants of the renowned Boeing-Stearman Model 75. He completed his first solo flight during his sixth sortie on 6 June 1943, piloting N2S-3 BuNo 05252 for one hour and thirty-six minutes. His training continued through the end of June, after which he transferred to NAS Livermore, California, for additional flight instruction. There, he continued flying the Kaydets until 6 August 1943. Following a well-deserved leave, Zografos reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, for basic flight training. He began flying the Vultee SNV-1 Valiant on 23 August 1943 and completed his solo flight in the aircraft the next day, after four instructor-led sorties, flying SNV-1 BuNo 12893. He completed basic training on 26 October 1943. After a short break, he proceeded to advanced flight training, remaining at NAS Corpus Christi. At this stage, he transitioned to the SNJ, the U.S. Navy’s version of the North American Harvard. After two familiarization flights on 4 November 1943, he conducted his first solo in the SNJ on 5 November 1943, piloting SNJ-4 BuNo 09956. He completed advanced training on 21 December 1943, becoming proficient in solo flight, formation flying, and the fundamentals of air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery. He got his wings of gold on 24 December 1943 and promoted to Ensign USNR, He was awaited further orders, anticipating assignment to either a fighter or bomber squadron for operational training. On 4 January 1944, Zografos was transferred to Bombing-Scouting Squadron Three (VSB-3). His initial sorties in the unit were conducted in the SNJ, flying with senior squadron officers who assessed his flying abilities. Evidently impressed by his performance, the squadron allowed him to begin solo flights in the iconic Douglas SBD Dauntless, specifically SBD-4 BuNo 10353—the same aircraft type that had played a pivotal role in the Battle of Midway. He was trained in dive-bombing tactics and completed his syllabus on 23 February 1944. While he may have expected a combat posting in the Pacific, Zografos was instead assigned to NAS Jacksonville, Florida, for further training. He remained there until 19 April 1944. After a two-week rest period, he reported to the Aviation Training Department at NAS Fort Lauderdale. During this time, he flew various types of aircraft and expanded his flight experience. On 3 May 1944, he completed his first solo flight in the TBF-1 Avenger, piloting BuNo 05985. Later, on 24 June 1944, he flew the OS2U Kingfisher for the first time, in BuNo 09424. The following month, Zografos completed his carrier qualification in the Dauntless aboard the USS Wolverine, successfully landing eight times. This milestone represented the pinnacle of his naval aviation training. Returning to NAS Fort Lauderdale, he continued to fly both the SBD and OS2U. On 10 September 1944, he piloted a fighter for the first time—an FM-1 Wildcat, BuNo 46827—and later flew the FM-2 variant.

This transition signaled a shift in his role. According to his flight logbook, Zografos was transferred to a Fighter Squadron (VF) in mid-October 1944, although the specific squadron designation is not noted. Around the same time, he conducted his first evaluation flight in the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, flying BuNo 18606 for two hours. On 16 October 1944, while flying FM-2 BuNo 16176, he was forced to execute a crash landing after running out of fuel during his fourth sortie of the day—a cross-country flight from Quonset Point to Belle Haven. Through the end of December 1944, he conducted liaison flights in the squadron’s SNJ and SB2C aircraft while awaiting formal fighter training and a potential combat assignment in the Pacific. From January to April 1945, he flew just 17 sorties but began familiarizing himself with the famed F6F Hellcat. His first flight in the F6F-3 (BuNo 41909) occurred on 5 February 1945, and the following month, he transitioned to the night fighter variant, the F6F-5N. With a total of 602.5 flight hours logged, Zografos was finally assigned to an operational fighter squadron, so on 10 May 1945 he reported for duty to VF-44. At the time, VF-44 was undergoing training for a second deployment, having returned from operations aboard the USS Hancock in late 1944 and early 1945. In addition to his flying duties, Zografos temporarily served as a Landing Signal Officer (LSO). Between May and September 1945, he flew numerous sorties in the squadron’s F6F Hellcats. Despite the intense training schedule, neither he nor his squadron mates returned to combat operations. In August, he flew a liaison aircraft for the first time alongside fellow Greek American naval aviator Jim Paras. Following Japan’s surrender in the wake of the atomic bombings, Zografos left VF-44 and was transferred to NAS Pasco, Washington, near his home. There, he continued flying liaison aircraft until January 1946, when he was released from active duty. According to his son Greg:

"During world war 2, my Yia Yia prayed very hard for him to come home. One night she had a dream that Jesus had called the lambs to come home and the next day the war was over. She really believed that her prayer stopped the war!  Who knows…. maybe it did!"