Army Reserve's 12th command sergeant major takes helm

Courtesy Photo | The official photo of Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas Jr., the 12th command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve.  

DC, UNITED STATES

04.24.2013

Story by Lt. Col. Matthew Lawrence 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

WASHINGTON – Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas, Jr., will assume the duties as the top enlisted soldier for the U.S. Army Reserve in a Change of Responsibility ceremony at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes at 2:00 pm, April 30.

Thomas will accept the post following Command Sgt. Maj. James M. Lambert, who has been the interim command sergeant major of the Army Reserve since November.

Thomas joined the Army in 1984 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., after completing high school and has served with distinction in many active and reserve component leadership positions. He deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2003-2004 as a logistician, and to Afghanistan in 2008-2009 as an infantryman in an embedded training team assisting the Afghan Army. He also provided support to the Hurricane Katrina cleanup as part of the 356th Quartermaster Battalion from Laurel, Miss. His most recent job was as the command sergeant major for the 84th Training Command at Fort Knox, Ky.

Thomas has an associate degree in Human Services from Midlands Technical College in Columbia, S.C., a bachelor’s in political science from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., and an MBA from Trident University in Cypress, Calif.

“When I first joined the Army, the slogan was, ‘Be all you can be,’” said Thomas. “I believe the Army Reserve has given us an environment where soldiers can do that by being both a soldier and developing a civilian career. I’m proud to be a part of that legacy and to have an opportunity to help lead the Army Reserve into the future.”

Established in 1908, the Army Reserve consists of over 200,000 soldiers responsible for support of the active duty forces in a time of war, which they have now done continuously for over 10 years. More than 270,000 Army Reserve soldiers have deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. In addition to deployment and its numerous yearly training missions, the Army Reserve also conducts humanitarian and foreign aid missions throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America.

For more information or to attend this event, please contact Mr. Jamal Beck at [phone], or email at [e-mail] for more information about the event or to confirm attendance and coordinate access to the Pentagon. 

• Date Taken: 04.24.2013
• Date Posted: 04.26.2013 11:32
• Story ID: 105901
• Location: DC, US