Joe Thomas named News-Herald’s Veteran of the Month

Joe Thomas served in the United States Army from 2000 to 2012 and has been nominated by a community member as the News-Herald’s Veteran of the Month.

Thomas enlisted right out of high school. “I didn’t want to go play football, so I decided to join the Army,” he said. “I had some offers to play but chose not to. It seemed more fitting to go into the military. I knew I wanted to be a mechanic, so I figured it out.”

He got his wish. “I started as a 63 Sierra, a heavy-wheel mechanic, and then they reclassified me as 63 Bravo, so we were just wheel mechanics, whether heavy or light,” Thomas said. “Then reclassified again as a 91 Bravo, which was a higher level of maintenance.”

Thomas deployed to Iraq twice. His first deployment began in 2003 and lasted 15 months, working recovery and repairs for convoys. “I was maintenance support, and then when stuff got blown up I towed it back to base,” he said. He returned in 2009, focusing on repairing equipment headed back to the United States. “We started pulling things out, so we were like clean up.”

Stationed about 10 miles from where Saddam Hussein was captured, Thomas visited Hussein’s palace and sat on the former dictator’s throne. “I was there during the beginning and the end, so it was cool to see the transition over seven years,” he said.

After active duty, Thomas spent several years in the National Guard and separated in 2012.

A Cadiz native, Thomas was in the first class to graduate from Harrison Central in 1999. “We were the first Huskies,” he said. “I went to Westgate Elementary, then four through six they sent us to Hopedale, then came back to the big high school.”

Thomas now works in gas and oil near Tappan, coaches softball and wrestling, and spends time with his wife, Becky, a third-grade teacher at Harrison Central, and their children. He is a member of Adena Legion Post 525 and volunteers when he can.

He values the friendships and people skills the Army taught him. “You’re around a lot of different personalities,” he said. “You have a lot of new younger people under you that you have to mentor. You have to adapt to everybody.”

Thomas encourages young people to consider service. “I think all kids should do it right out of high school unless you’re physically unable to,” he said. “I think it would teach kids a different demeanor of life, like respect. It builds character. Truly, I think it helps kids find out who they are. Not everything is given; go earn something yourself.”

To nominate a veteran to be featured, call or text Cornelia Grace at 740-899-2596.