MOAACC Guest Speaker Lt. Col. Tim Thomas Details Work with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
By Space Coast Daily // June 27, 2022
Lt. Col. Thomas' Search and Recovery Team was allowed into North Korea to recover remains
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter’s monthly luncheon keynote speaker was retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tim Thomas, who detailed his work with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Lt. Col. Thomas served in the U.S. Army for 23 years, holding many key leadership positions at the Division, Corps and Department of Defense levels.
He served two combat tours in Iraq and is one of the few Americans allowed access to North Korea.
In 1998, his Search and Recovery Team was allowed into North Korea where they recovered and repatriated the remains of nine Army soldiers who were killed during the Korean War.
His decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.
Lt. Col. Thomas was involved with the Defense POW/MIA Agency, whose mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. They search for missing personnel from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars, and other recent conflicts.
Their research and operational missions include coordination with hundreds of countries and municipalities around the world. At present, more than 81,600 Americans remain missing and 75 percent of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific. Of these, 41 percent are presumed lost at sea in ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.
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Lt. Col. Thomas is also very involved in the community. He’s a member of the Melbourne City Council, a member of the Melbourne-Orlando International Airport Authority Board and is on Senator Marco Rubio’s U.S. Military Academy at West Point selection committee.
Earlier this month, Lt. Col. Thomas was the Grand Champion of the 8th Annual ‘Dancing for the Space Coast’, which raised more than $400,000 for local charities.
He also has been the Senior Army Instructor for the Viera High School Army JROTC program for 12 years.
Lt. Col. Thomas earned a BS in Government from Auburn University and an MS in Administration from Central Michigan University while attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
