Years of service 1955–1997 Rank Major general | Name Arthur Thomas | |
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Born July 15, 1935Mankato, Minnesota ( 1935-07-15 ) Awards Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters others below Died January 19, 2001, Washington, D.C., United States Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States | ||
Allegiance United States of America | ||
Arthur Sam Thomas (July 15, 1935 – January 19, 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest and the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force from 1995 to 1997.
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Biography
A native of Mankato, Minnesota, Thomas was an ordained Roman Catholic priest. He was a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato and the Graduate Theological Union. In 1992, he was given the title of Monsignor by Pope John Paul II.
Career
Thomas originally joined the Minnesota National Guard in 1953 before joining the United States Air Force in 1955. His early years were spent as a Russian language specialist.
In 1982, he was named Senior Catholic Chaplain of the 86th Tactical Airlift Wing. He held that position until 1984, when he was assigned to Headquarters Tactical Air Command. From there, he was Command Chaplain of Air Force Logistics Command and Strategic Air Command before becoming Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force in 1991. He was promoted to Chief of Chaplains with the rank of Major General in 1995 and held the position until his retirement in 1997. Msgr. Thomas died suddenly of a heart attack on Friday, January 19, 2001 in Florida. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Section 2 Site E-287 RH.
He died of a heart attack in 2001, aged 65.