David M. Thomas
Encyclopedia
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Early life
Thomas's father was a career Navy officer.Thomas, and three of his brothers, are graduates of the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. All are active duty, including one in the Marine Corps. Another brother served in the Peace Corps. His two uncles also were Navy officers via Officers' Candidate School programs.
Thomas graduated in 1981.
Thomas was a 1976 graduate of Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School
Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School
Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School or Wootton High School is a high school in Rockville, Maryland. Its namesake is Thomas Sprigg Wootton, a former member of the Maryland Constitutional Convention and the founder of Montgomery County. The school was founded in 1970 and is part of the Montgomery...
in Rockville, Maryland.
Navy career
In 1999 Thomas commanded the destroyerDestroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
USS Ross
USS Ross (DDG-71)
USS Ross is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship of that name, and the first named in honor of Captain Donald K...
.
He has served aboard the
USS Shreveport
USS Shreveport (LPD-12)
USS Shreveport is an Austin-class American amphibious transport dock. It is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city in Louisiana. Her keel was laid down on 27 December 1965 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington. She was launched on...
,
USS Estocin
USS Estocin (FFG-15)
USS Estocin , ninth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Captain Michael John Estocin...
,
USS Willamette
USS Willamette
USS Willamette has been the name of more than one United States Navy ship, and may refer to:*USS Willamette , a sloop-of-war or frigate cancelled in 1866 before her keel was laid...
and the USS Leyte Gulf
USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55)
USS Leyte Gulf is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy. She was named in memory of the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific. She is powered by four large gas-turbine engines, and she has a large complement of guided missiles for air defense, attack of...
9-11 rescue efforts
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
on September 11, 2001, when al Qaeda hijackers
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
crashed a passenger jet into it, causing an explosion, fire, and consequent injuries and loss of life.
Thomas was one of the people who spontaneously volunteered to enter the damaged part of the building to rescue survivors.
When asked about his rescue efforts on September 11, Thomas replied:
His fire-damaged uniform now hangs in the Smithsonian's American History gallery.
8th Commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
David Thomas replaced Rear Admiral Mark Buzby to become the 8th Commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Joint Task Force Guantanamo is a U.S. military joint task force based at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba on the southeastern end of the island. JTF-GTMO falls under US Southern Command...
, and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
On April 2, 2009, Thomas defended inviting visiting VIP entertainers to view detainees at Guantanamo.
Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008, the 57th Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Crown Convention Center in the Diamond Bay Resort, Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008...
Dayana Mendoza
Dayana Mendoza
Dayana Sabrina Mendoza Moncada is a model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the titles of Miss Venezuela 2007 and Miss Universe 2008.-Personal life:...
and
Miss USA 2008
Miss USA 2008
Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
Crystle Stewart
Crystle Stewart
Crystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
had both been invited to visit Guantanamo on a USO tour, where they signed autographs. Both women stirred controversy after they published accounts of their visits. Thomas had authorized the women to view captives.
Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg is a senior journalist, currently with the McClatchy News Service.Rosenberg works at the Miami Herald, which has provided extensive coverage of the operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.-Biography:...
, reporting in the Miami Herald, wrote that Thomas "brushed aside" concerns that by allowing civilians to view the captives he was violating the clause in the Geneva Conventions that protect captives from the humiliation of public display.
Thomas asserted that the beauty queens had been allowed to view the detainees in Guantanamo just as if they were reporters.
On July 10, 2009, he began his assignment as commander, Carrier Strike Group 2
Carrier Strike Group Two
Carrier Strike Group Two, abbreviated CSG-2 or CARSTRKGRU 2, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned the United States Fleet Forces Command. U.S...
, serving in that capacity until July, 2010. In July 2010, he was named Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT), the senior Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) in the Atlantic Fleet.