17 year old Patrick Thomas graduated from high school and with the signature of his foster mother, he enlisted into the US Army with the rank of PFC ( private first class ). His first MOS ( military occupational specialty ) was 13F, arriving at basic training in Ft. Sill, OK on June 30, 1988. Patrick’s first duty station was at Ft. Hood , TX HHB 3/82 FA. He spent 2 years there while also training at Ft. Ord, CA (NTC, National Training Center Desert Training). His ETS as a SPC. from Ft. Hood was just before Desert Storm (June 30, 1990 ).
Patrick became a PA National Guard member in June, 1990, attending weekend drills and 2 week annual trainings while attending culinary school. His MOS during that time was a 16S for A 1/213th ADA ( air defense artillery ). The location was Hamburg, PA Armory but transferred to the Allentown Armory ( still a SPC ) where his position was in the SPO section ( a consolidated support operations cell ). Patrick had multiple deployments to Germany (Reforger) , multiple training exercises like Operation Roving Sands in TX until approximately 1996 when he was transferred back to Air defense artillery at the Hamburg Armory, B 1/213th ADA (E5 Sergeant). While in Hamburg, there were again multiple Germany Deployments with his first combat tour in 2003 having him be stationed at Wiesbaden Air Base for 8 months. He ran base security while 2nd AD Tank Division deployed to Iraq and here is where Patrick said his love and respect for “tankers” began. His 2nd combat tour to Iraq was 2006 for 18 months where he was E6, running convoy security elements from base to base. His day began at 3:30 am, giving convoy brief and then waiting for them to give the OK to leave base. Most of the convoys lasted a day so he was able to sleep for a few hours. During this time , his weight dropped from 225 pounds to a solid 195.
Upon returning home, Patrick transferred to HHC 1/213 CAB (combat aviation brigade) located at Ft. Indiantown Gap. He volunteered for his 3rd combat tour and had to request a transfer from the CAB and join his old unit in Hamburg, deploying to Afghanistan for the next 15 months. While there, he ran base security for a multi-national air base. Sadly, Patrick lost a few friends during his combat tours but he said there was one gentleman who he admired from the moment he met him, Ron Hlavaty… a tanker, both of them sharing stories of deployments, training mishaps and fun times, and someone who Patrick says made him appreciate his last few years in the military. He said Ron kept him from becoming a “salty old NCO” and for this he will forever be grateful.
Patrick retired from the military in 2017. He went to school full time and graduated cum laude from Muhlenberg College. He is currently employed as a special Agent for the PA office of State Inspector General. He resides in Whitehall where he lives with his wife of 21 years and together they have raised 2 wonderful children.
Education and Training:
Muhlenberg College Wescoe School– Allentown, PA
BA Political Science, Cum Laude
American Foreign Policy, Comparative Govt. and International Relations, American Govt., Colonial Latin America
Army Operational Electronic Warfare School– Ft. Sill, OK
Electronic Warfare Fundamentals, CREW Management, Electronic Warfare Systems
Northeast Counterdrug Training Center- FT. Indiantown Gap, PA
Photographic Reconnaissance and Surveillance Techniques for Law Enforcement
Basic Intelligence for Drug Law Enforcement
Intro to Basic Drug Intelligence Analysis
Analytical Investigative Techniques I,II
Ion scan Operations Course
Cannabis Eradication Course
Midwest Counterdrug Training Center-Camp Dodge, IA 2010
Counterdrug Criminal Analysis Phase II
World Drug Trafficking Trends
Gang Familiarization, Financial Analysis
Regional Counterdrug Training Center, NAS – Meridian, MS 2010
National Guard Bureau Civil Operations Training Phase I
Drug Demand Reduction Techniques
