Army Veteran, Melbourne City Councilman Tim Thomas Prepares for 8th Annual ‘Dancing for the Space Coast’ on June 4

By  //  May 23, 2022

Thomas served in the Army for 23 years

ABOVE VIDEO: Army Veteran, Melbourne City Councilman Tim Thomas Prepares for 8th Annual ‘Dancing for the Space Coast’ on June 4

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – With only a month to go, the 2022 ‘Dancing for the Space Coast’ dancers are preparing for their final dance routines with their dance instructors for the charity event on June 4 at Florida Tech’s Clemente Center.

With a sold out crowd ready to pack inside the Clemente Center, one of the dancers in this year’s event is Army Veteran and Melbourne City Councilman Tim Thomas.

Thomas is a Melbourne City Councilman and Senior Army Instructor at Viera High School. He was elected to the Melbourne City Council in November 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. He is also a member of the Melbourne-Orlando International Airport Authority Board.

Tim Thomas was born in Quincy, Illinois, but grew up in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Tate High School and played football for legendary coach Carl Madison. Tim graduated from Tate in 1983 and received a football scholarship to Marion Military Institute where he was selected for the Army Early Commissioning Program.

Upon his Commissioning in 1985 as a Second Lieutenant, Tim served in the Alabama National Guard with the 20th Group Special Forces and the 117th Field Artillery Battalion while completing his degree at Auburn University in Montgomery (AUM). He graduated from AUM in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Government and was selected for Active-Duty service in the United States Army.

CLICK HERE to donate to Dancing for the Space Coast’s charity in Tim’s name.

To sponsor the event and/or attend the event, reserve your table today.

Tim served in the Army for 23 years and held numerous key leadership positions at the Division, Corps and Department of Defense level and served two combat tours in Iraq. He is also one of a few Americans ever allowed access into North Korea. In 1998, Tim and his Search and Recovery Team were allowed into North Korea where they recovered and repatriated the remains of nine Army soldiers who were killed in North Korea during the Korean War.

In 2002, Tim earned a Master’s of Science degree in Administration through Central Michigan University while attending the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel at Patrick Air Force Base in 2010.

Tim’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 OLCs), Army Commendation Medal (with 2 OLCs), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (with 2 OLCs), National Defense Service Medal (with 2 OLCs), Southwest Asia Service Medal (with 3 Stars), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Saudi Arabia Liberation Medal, Airborne and Air Assault badges.

Upon retirement in 2010, Tim was immediately hired by Viera High School to start up an Army JROTC program. Tim is in his 12th year as the Senior Army Instructor at Viera High School with 200 Cadets making it one of the largest JROTC programs in Brevard County. Tim is also very active in the community supporting homeless veterans through Operation Stand Downs and most recently leading the efforts with Viera High School JROTC Cadets as well as Brevard County Veterans in securing passage of the “All American Flag Act” through the Florida State Legislature in 2015.

Tim’s community awards include a 2019 Resolution passed by the Brevard County Commissioners recognizing his heroic efforts in helping save a young man’s life who was suffering from Sudden Cardiac Arrest by performing CPR.

He also received a Central Florida 2019 Humanitarian Award for his efforts with Paul Alfrey and John Casey in setting up the Bahama Relief Missions to bring needed supplies to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian.

Lastly, Tim was recognized by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition and the Florida Tech Alumni Association for his efforts in spearheading the renaming of Airport Blvd to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. He is a member of the Association of the United States Army, the Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter and was also selected by Senator Marco Rubio to be on his United States Military Academy at West Point selection committee. His wife, Heather Thomas, is a dual sworn deputy with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. They have three children Tommy (28), Savana (25) and Dallas (20). They attend the First Baptist Church of South Brevard in Melbourne.

Tim’s Instructor: Heidi Arnold

Heidi has been teaching dance for over 20 years and is the proud owner of Dancin’ Dance studio. She first started dancing at the age of 3 when her parents enrolled her in lessons and she has been dancing ever since.

Heidi loves being able to pass on her passion and knowledge of dancing to others. She was a star on her school’s award winning dance team.

She began instructing Ballroom dance at the age of 16. She has trained extensively across the country including West Palm Beach, Orlando, and New York.

When she started teaching at a local studio, Heidi quickly became the lead advanced instructor.

Heidi and her partners have won Dancing with the Space Coast competition four times in the past six years.

The program for this year’s event starts at 6:30 p.m. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m.

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