Flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Adam Thomas ’07
In honor and remembrance of St. Olaf College graduate Army Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas ’07, Governor Mark Dayton has ordered U.S. flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in Minnesota on Saturday, October 15.
A highly decorated special forces soldier, Thomas died October 4 from injuries caused by an improvised explosive device in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. He was 31 years old.
Thomas was a Green Beret assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson in Colorado. He joined the Army in 2008 and had two previous deployments — one to Iraq in 2008 and one to Afghanistan in 2011. He earned a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, multiple Army Commendation Medals, and the National Defense Service Medal, among other accolades.
He majored in biology and environmental studies at St. Olaf, where he was also an All-American swimmer. Thomas was a conference champion in 2004 and went to the national championships in 2005, swimming coach Bob Hauck told Minnesota Public Radio.
“He always had a great attitude. He was always a hard worker,” Hauck added in a WCCO-TV piece honoring Thomas. “When I think of him, I think of someone that was inspirational.”
Thomas is survived by his wife, Mackenzie, and his parents, Dr. Will and Candace Thomas of Marshall, Minnesota.