Staff Sergeant Travis Thomas

Staff Sergeant Travis Thomas is currently serving as a Construction Supervisor 12H30, in the United States Army Reserve. He is stationed with the 990th Engineer Company at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Staff Sergeant Thomas enlisted into the Army Reserve in 2004 and began basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, completing Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was assigned to the 306th Engineer Company out of Amityville, Long Island as a 21J10 General Construction Equipment Operator. While there, he participated in multiple annual trainings which included traveling to Germany and Arizona, among other places.

In 2012, Staff Sergeant Thomas was promoted with the 760th Engineer Company, and was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2013 until 2014, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While in Kandahar, he served as a Team Leader and supported in the construction of a Base Camp.

Upon return to the United States, Staff Sergeant Thomas went back to 306th Engineer Company. Later, he was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait as an Acting Platoon Sergeant in 2017 with the 990th Engineer Company in support of Spartan Shield. There, he was charged with assigning soldiers to posts throughout the Middle East. In 2018, he was deployed to Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in support of Operation Inherit Resolve with the 779th Engineer Company.

He returned once again to the 306th Company; in 2019, Staff Sergeant Thomas was promoted out to the 990th Engineer Company, currently serving as 2nd Platoon, Platoon Sergeant.

Born in Trinidad, he came to the United States in 1992 and attended I.S. 248 in Parkside, Brooklyn — later renamed M.S. 2. He graduated from Automotive High School and worked as an Auto Service Worker for the New York Police Department Fleet Service Division.

In 2006, Staff Sergeant Thomas became an EMT and did volunteer work with BedStuy Vollies. He then joined the NYC Fire Department Emergency Medical Services as an Emergency Medical Technician-Basic in 2007; he currently holds this title.

Dedicated to helping others, Staff Sergeant Thomas started Phoenix Steel Orchestra, a non-profit organization, the focus of which is to teach the community, through music, about Caribbean culture.