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| Ernest
C. Thomas |
| No.
17465 • 7 Feb 1927 – 27 Dec 1983 |
Died
in Fort Walton Beach, FL
Interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
|
 Ernest
Collins Thomas grew up in Leavenworth, KS, and entered West Point
through the United States Military Academy Preparatory School. If
anyone ever made the demands of the Academy look easy, Ernie was
that person. Eternally optimistic, handsome, bright, and charismatic
to boot, he could not help but impress his fellow cadets and the
faculty and charm the ladies. His social skills were borne out by
his selection as company hop representative for four years, culminating
in his elevation to chairman of the Corps Hop Committee in his first
class year. Ernie was a gifted athlete in all pursuits save swimming.
In this endeavor, Ernie, a product of the Great Plains, demonstrated
a marked talent for sinking to the bottom of the pool. This was
so even during his senior year, after four years of remedial swimming
instruction.
As a new plebe, Ernie promptly recognized all of the benefits of
dining at ease on steak at a Corps Squad training table. He tried
out for football, qualified as a quarterback, won his numerals,
and enjoyed his meals. Ernie could sing, a talent he amply demonstrated
in the mandatory tryouts for the Chapel Choir. His Vaughan Monroe
like crooning gained him immediate acceptance to his second "Corps
Squad team.' Ernie breezed through the academic program; indeed,
he was unfazed even when Russian was thrust on him as his foreign
language study "of choice."
Where Ernie really excelled, however, was in any and all matters
pertaining to leadership. Every rating he received remarked that
he was destined for a position of high prestige and responsibility
in the cadet chain of command as a First Classman. This was so until
his "cow' year, when, during an exchange trip at the Naval
Academy, his freespirited sense of adventure took over and he joined
his midshipmen roommates in going "over the wall" after
Taps. He was caught and "slugged" for his offense. Consequently,
he had to settle for the rank of cadet lieutenant and battalion
adjutant. He took this setback in his typically good spirit. As
a parting gesture, Ernie's classmates elected him class treasurer.
Despite his cool demeanor, Ernie could be deadly serious when it
was called for, especially when embracing and championing West Points
ideals. Upon graduation, he entered the Air Force, eager to apply
all that he had learned at his alma mater in a career that promised
high adventure and the opportunity to serve his country.
Ernie's Air Force career followed two separate paths; the early
path focused on flying, the other on research and development. After
receiving his pilot wings at Enid AFB, OK, he reported for B 29
combat training at Randolph AFB, TX, and Lake Charles AFB, LA, followed
by assignment to the 19th Bombardment Group on Okinawa during the
Korean War. Flying assignments in California and Texas were next,
prior to transition training in the B 47 Stratojet then the Air
Force's primary jet bomber and eventual B 47 duty with Strategic
Air Command at Mountain Home AFB, ID.
The shift to the second phase of his career was by triggered by
attendance at the University of Washington, where he earned a master's
degree in Aerospace Science in 1960. This degree led to a most welcome
assignment as an instructor in the Ordnance Department at West Point
during 1960 63. In 1964 Ernie' s life and career path then shifted
further with his marriage to Judy, and multiple assignments that
focused on research and development in the Washington, DC area.
These assignments centered on duty with the Air Force Systems Command.
Ernie and Judy's prolonged stay in Washington provided welcome stability,
in a city of vitality and interest, and put them in contact with
old friends. In 1968, this bliss was interrupted for a year when
Ernie served in Viet Nam at Headquarters, Seventh Air Force, Saigon,
where he was engaged in establishing requirements for and evaluating
weapons systems. To add zest to this work, the assignment was preceded
by a stint at the jungle survival school in the Philippines.
In 1972, the Thomas family departed the Washington area for Patrick
AFB, FL, where Ernie became involved in the B 1/cruise missile business.
Still later, at Eglin AFB, FL, he returned to an earlier pursuit:
development of conventional munitions. During this stay, Ernie and
Judy acquired a beautiful waterfront home at Fort Walton Beach,
where they enjoyed the varied Gulf Coast activities, and Judy opened
a successful real estate business. In 1979, upon his retirement
as a colonel, Ernie accepted a position with a small firm engaged
in consulting and representing several area companies.
Unfortunately, this idyllic retirement life was cut short for Judy
and Ernie when he became ill and passed away in 1983. Ernie is missed,
not only by his wife but also by his many friends and classmates.
We will always remember him with fondness and regret that he left
us so soon.
-- Classmates
|
USMA 1950