Warrior of the Week: Senior Airman Jacob Thomas

  • Published
  • By Airman Derek VanHorn
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Any time someone moves to a new location, it may be difficult to stay positive during the initial adjustment. For any Airmen new to Grand Forks, Senior Airman Jacob Thomas, 319th Communications Squadron infrastructure systems technician, would be a valuable person to help you see the brighter side of things.

"I love it here at Grand Forks," Airman Thomas said. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It is a great place to be, especially for a first base."

If you're having trouble with circuits, networking issues, individual access, security issues, or have no idea what any of that means, there is no need to worry. Airman Thomas and his crew have you covered.

"We maintain the base network and help people with their computer problems," said Thomas. "The best part of the job is helping people out."

Although fixing computers is fun for the Georgia native, he would love to be paid to perform on the stage.

"Although it sounds cliché, I would love to be an actor. I don't even care what it I would act, action, comedy, anything," said Thomas. "I'm pretty open and most people know a lot about me, except that I love acting. I used to participate in theater in high school."

Airman Thomas also believes strongly in his Christianity and displays that by staying active through various programs on base. He is a co-leader of weekly young adult bible studies, youth gathering and bible studies, and often volunteers his time at the chapel.

"Most of my time is spent at church," said Thomas. "I think it is important to establish a solid foundation of the bible to the children of the future."

When Airman Thomas is off both official and volunteer duty, he enjoys watching movies and trying to catch some shut-eye.

"I love sleeping, but I hardly ever do it," said Airman Thomas. "The rest of the time my wife and I will watch movies and relax."

What types of movies you might wonder? Airman Thomas is happy to share.

"That's just going to make me sound like a geek," he laughed. "I enjoy well-done science fictions, not the bad ones."

Airman Thomas also likes watching soccer, listening to a variety of Christian hip-hop and rock, and the idea of improving the United States prison system.

"I think there should be more focus on rehabilitation rather than just holding prisoners there for a certain amount of time and then just releasing them," said Thomas. "There are a lot of things that I think our efforts could be better focused to help the transition."

Transitions have come early and often for Airman Thomas.

Thomas made the move from Airman 1st Class to Senior Airman six months early, as he was awarded rank Below the Zone April 2010. Thomas was also named Airman of the year for the entire 319th CS for the year 2010.