REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- It wasn't long after arriving at Redstone Arsenal that First Sgt. Joe Thomas began considering the local area as a good place to settle his family.
Having traveled throughout the nation during his 22-year military career, Thomas, his wife and daughters were ready to put down family roots in one place.
And, the Redstone Arsenal area became the perfect place to do just that.
"This is a great place for my family. The community here at Redstone Arsenal has just been awesome," Thomas said. "I really didn't know much about Redstone Arsenal when we got here. But this area has become home for us."
Thomas, who serves as the first sergeant for the Aviation and Missile Command's Headquarters and Headquarters Co., has decided to retire in the area and hopes to continue his career as a civilian in support of Soldiers. He relinquished his duties to incoming First Sgt. Lee Dalton on Sept. 10. A retirement ceremony is being planned for October.
"My assignments at Redstone Arsenal were a perfect fit for me," he said. "First, I was at the Army Contracting Command for a year and then I came to AMCOM.
"I'm really excited about retiring here. I hope to continue to serve Soldiers in a civilian capacity at some point. I want to still be able to contribute in the HR field. I still have knowledge to give back and a desire to help Soldiers."
Serving in the Army's HR career field wasn't what Thomas set out to do when he joined the Army in December 1993. Thomas scored high on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test and was considering a career in Military Intelligence when a test at the Military Entrance Process Station in Atlanta, Ga., determined he was color blind.
"So, the only job I qualified for was Human Resources," he said.
Seeking a challenge, and with a wife and child to support, Thomas was determined to serve in the Army despite his military occupational specialty classification as a Personnel Actions Specialist. It ended up being a satisfying and rewarding classification for this career Soldier.
His first assignment after advanced individual training was to serve in Casualty Operations, working in morgues at Fort Carson, Colo., and then at Fort McPherson, Ga., where he processed actions and assisted the families of deceased Soldiers with things like benefit counseling.
"As a young guy, the experience really opened my eyes to a part of the world I didn't know. It showed me how important military service was to families, and what husbands and wives must go through when their spouse is a Soldier. I saw the sacrifices that families have to make. For me, it really put a value on the job and the careers of these deceased Soldiers," Thomas said.
During those two jobs, Thomas discovered the job satisfaction that comes with helping Army families.
Thomas' next assignment took him to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he took on a more traditional role as the Human Resources non-commissioned officer for the 574 Soldiers of the 732nd Military Intelligence Battalion. On the surface, the assignment included the routine HR processing actions for Soldiers going on leave, getting promotions, requiring financial actions and other matters. But, it was so much more.
"I worked in a classified area. Military intelligence Soldiers require completely different support than in other career fields. We worked with 400 to 500 linguistic Soldiers who had to be recertified every year to continue their work. That requirement took the job to a whole different level," Thomas said.
"Even though the HR requirements were different, the experience was much like any other HR assignment. Besides our HR duties, we did everything that the Soldiers in our unit did. We went out in the field with them because HR processes are in place even when a unit is deployed in harm's way. We did PT with them and training with them. We were right there with them every step of the way. And, we became friends with them just like any other Soldiers working in the same unit."
That's one of the things Thomas especially liked about all his assignments. With every unit he was assigned, he spent much of his time on HR duties but then he also spent time fulfilling the Soldier requirements of the unit where he was assigned.
At Fort Gillem, Ga. in 2005, he served as the Mobilization non-commissioned officer for an Active Component/Reserve Component.
"It was always something different at Fort Gillem," Thomas said.
"It was as definite change of pace. One month I would be at Camp Shelby (Miss.) training a unit. The next month, I was at Kesler Air Force Base (Miss.) mobilizing a National Guard unit in support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Then, I'd be back in Atlanta supporting FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) by securing federal resources and deploying them to the Gulf coast after Katrina. We provided logistics to get things like trucks, bulldozers, ice, plywood and other things down there. It was really something to be a part of an effort where our whole country came together to help the people in the Gulf area."
Thomas' next assignment took him to Fort Benning, Ga., where a five-year stint included two years as a drill sergeant.
"It was rewarding to work with those young Soldiers. It was a lot of work because we had to teach them everything they needed to know to stay alive," Thomas said. "Persistence, patience and being a good teacher were key to that assignment.
"I quickly realized the younger generation learns in a different way than I did. So, I had to teach them in different ways. And it was always hard to predict who would make it through boot camp and who wouldn't. I could never figure it out."
He then served as the senior Human Resources sergeant for the 550 Soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry at Fort Benning, deploying to Iraq in 2009-10. Although much of his work kept Thomas "behind the fence," he often traveled between the unit's outposts to provide HR services and to deliver Soldier mail.
His dedication to the profession was noticed and Thomas was next selected to serve as the senior Human Resources sergeant for the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, also at Fort Benning, where he oversaw HR support for 3,700 Soldiers.
"That was the best job in the Army for me. The complexity and the responsibility of the job was something that I really liked. Battalions take care of Soldiers. When battalions have issues, they bring them to the brigade level. So, I was constantly fixing problems. I felt that what I was doing was really making a difference in Soldier's lives and in the unit, and that meant a lot to me," he said.
His knack for "fixing problems" then took Thomas to the Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he worked in the Senior Executive Administration for General David Rodriguez.
"I was in charge of his communications and personal security detachment. I assisted with administrative matters and I even drove for the general," he said. "It was at the apex of being a Soldier because I was working with a lot of leaders who were making decisions that affected the entire Army. I learned a lot about responsibility in that job."
When Redstone Arsenal called as his next assignment, Thomas was ready for the responsibilities of serving as the top senior enlisted Human Resources sergeant for ACC and then as the 1st sergeant for AMCOM HHC.
"First Sergeant Thomas is an outstanding leader and NCO. He has represented AMCOM, Team Redstone and the Army with pride. He will truly be missed," said Maj. Curt Schultheis, commander of AMCOM HHC.
Thomas will miss the Soldier life, too. But he is who is looking forward to settling down to civilian life with his wife Stephanie, who is a pre-school teacher, and youngest daughter, Emerie, who is 3.
"I've been real fortunate to have this opportunity in life," Thomas said. "It's been a great balance of traditional and nontraditional aspects. I'm glad I got to serve for 22 years. I've had great assignments, great jobs, great leader and great friends. I've gotten three college degrees in Human Resources along the way. The Army has made me better. I've been extremely blessed in this career."
The Army has also allowed him to set an example for his family. His two oldest daughters are taking on their own military careers. Daughter Jodie just graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, where she commissioned into the Air Force from the school's ROTC program. Daughter Hope is a student at Valdosta State University, Ga., where she participates in the Air Force ROTC program. Even Thomas' nephew has joined the military, serving as a Chinook helicopter repairman in the Army.
"In some ways, I feel like a billboard for the U.S. Army and military service," Thomas said.
"I went all in and I didn't hold back. I made the best of things and I just did it. And, before you know it, you look up and you're 42 years old and the younger Soldiers are running faster than you in formation and the next day you are still feeling it."
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