Tom was born in Colorado to an Air Force couple and spent the next 18 years traveling between Colorado, Germany, Alabama, and North Dakota. He graduated in the top 5 of his high school class of 6 from Deering High School, Deering, North Dakota in 1977! Tom enlisted in the Air Force while in high school and reported to Basic Military Training after graduation. He was trained to be an Air Force weather observer at Chanute AFB, Illinois and enjoyed assignments at Minot AFB, North Dakota and Ramstein AB, West Germany before deciding he wanted an education and got out of the Air Force after his first enlistment.

Tom then went to Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri and enjoyed two years there from 1981-83. While there, Tom met the love of his life Michele, and they wed in July ‘83. After the wedding he needed a job and rejoined the Air Force. Tom and Michele had assignments to Vance AFB, Oklahoma and then Bitburg AB, West Germany where they added two wonderful sons to the family. They returned to the states for Weather Forecaster training with assignments in Chanute AFB, Illinois and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.  While at Tinker, Tom was part of the Operational Testing and Evaluation of the NEXRAD radar system. During his time at Tinker Tom deployed to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in support of the AWACS, KC-135 Refuelers, and Patriot missile battery missions during Desert Storm.  Upon returning stateside, Tom had assignments at Shemya Island (aka Eareckson AFS), Alaska, and Fort Riley AIN, Kansas where our final great son came along. Tom finished his Air Force career after moving to Langley AFB, Virginia, Offutt AFB, Nebraska and Scott AFB, Illinois where he retired in 2006 after a 27-year career as a CMSgt (E9) and Chief of Weather Operations and Standardizations for Headquarters Air Mobility Command. Tom and Michele’s family has grown as their three sons have given them three wonderful daughters-in-law and eight awesome grand kids.

Tom’s education includes an Associates degree in Weather Technology from the Community College of the Air Force (1992), a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Development from Bluefield University (2000) and a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Evangel University (2012).

Post retirement, Tom and Michele lived in Houston, Texas for 14 years where he was an International Flight Coordinator for Rockwell Collins. Due to the COVID-19 international flight bans in 2019-20, the business closed, and they moved to Nixa, Missouri in Sep 2020. Tom started working for The Warrior’s Journey, a non-profit helping veterans with invisible wounds in August of 2023.  He currently works as a Veteran Services representative and Administrative Assistant.

Tom has been a member of the Sam Appleby Jr Memorial VFW Post 7628 since August 2021 and is the current Junior Vice Commander as well as a member of the Post Color Guard.  His hobbies include reading historical fiction and family genealogy.