General Raymond A. Thomas III, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a 1980 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York with 39 years of service to our nation as an officer in the U.S. Army. General Thomas served in a variety of critical command positions, including Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Commander, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He also served as Associate Director for Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency; Commanding General, NATO Special Operations Component Command – Afghanistan; Deputy Commanding General, JSOC; Deputy Director for Special Operations, The Joint Staff in the Pentagon; Assistant Division Commander, 1st Armor Division in Iraq; and Assistant Commanding General, JSOC.

General Thomas and his wife Barbara have two sons, both of whom are United States Military Academy graduates, Tony (Class of 2007) and Michael (Class of 2008). General Thomas remains closely connected to Special Operations military members and their families. He is passionate about sports and fitness activities—and Gold Star Families. He is committed to ensuring that DWYERFIRE GOLDSTAR honors CW3 Steve Dwyer and provides much needed support for Gold Star Children.