Green Beret With Minnesota Roots Killed in Afghanistan

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MINNEAPOLIS — Oct 7, 2016, 7:19 PM ET

A 31-year-old soldier who was killed in Afghanistan this week grew up in southern Minnesota and was a decorated member of the special forces.

Army Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas, a Green Beret, attended elementary school in the St. Peter area, while his father, Will Thomas, taught at Gustavus Adolphus College, the Star Tribune reported ( http://strib.mn/2dBO0m3 ). His father is now an accounting professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, while his mother, Candace Thomas, is executive director of the nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of Southwest Minnesota, which serves immigrants and refugees.

"This is an extraordinary family who dedicate countless hours to community service in our town," said Richard Herder, chairman of the organization.

The Defense Department said Adam Thomas died Tuesday of injuries from a roadside bomb. He was on patrol with Afghan forces in Nangarhar Province when he was killed.

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Soldier killed in Afghanistan grew up in Minnesota

By Mark Brunswick Star Tribune OCTOBER 7, 2016 — 9:48AM

A 31-year-old soldier killed this week in Afghanistan grew up in Minnesota and his parents are well-known in the Marshall area, where his father is a professor at Southwest Minnesota State University and his mother heads a local nonprofit.

Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas, 31, died Tuesday in Nangarhar Province from injuries caused by a bomb that exploded during dismounted operations, according to the Department of Defense. Thomas, a Green Beret who had two previous deployments to Afghanistan and one to Iraq, was partnered with Afghan forces when he was killed.

His father, Will Thomas, who teaches accounting at the university, declined to talk on Thursday when contacted by a reporter, and referred inquiries to the Army. But a spokesman for the university confirmed that the dean of the College of Business, Education, and Professional Studies spoke with him about traveling to Dover Air Force Base to retrieve his son's remains. The family was traveling from Colorado Thursday night.

A release from Fort Carson, where Thomas was stationed, listed his home as Takoma Park, Md., and indicated he had been in the military for 8?½ years. He was listed as a Special Forces medical sergeant with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

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