STORIES OF HONOR: U.S. Navy veteran serves as torpedoman on submarine

‘Leadership increases’

“I went to Hamburg, Germany, as a scout and radio operator. You would observe the enemy and, at the same time, you’d have to call and report in as to what you see. Most times it was at night. So you couldn’t really see the enemy,” Thomas said.

“You could see the machine gun fire as they fire in front of your jeep. Adverse weather didn’t make any difference. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I didn’t have to work 24 hours a day, but I’d go out every night basically. When you talk about time off, we didn’t have any time off — didn’t know what that was like,” he said.

Thomas said his time as a scout was shrouded in mystery and included the threat of enemy fire.

“There’s a lot of stuff that I can’t talk about because it’s still top secret. … He goes out and observes the enemy activity and report it back in, anything semi-hostile. You can’t fire back. We had loaded weapons, but you couldn’t fire back unless you’re fired upon,” he said.

Thomas continued, “As you ride in the jeep, if the bullet hit the jeep, then you could fire back. And before you could even fire back, you got to call and get permission. That didn’t make any sense at all, but the military decided it made sense.”

Thomas spent two years in Germany before leaving the military in hopes of returning to his communications job at BellSouth Telephone Company in New York.

“As a draftee, you spend two years in the military and you can get out. I was working for Bell Telephone. That’s how I ended up with my communications skills. … I came back to the same job that I had, (but) the job was filled by somebody else. So I didn’t have a job. I volunteered and re-enlisted back into the military. And from there, 29 years and eight months later, I became a civilian again,” he said, smiling.

Thomas had re-enlisted as a sergeant.

“In two years I made sergeant. … They sent me to signal school because they realized then that communications was my field,” he said.

The U.S. Army Signal School provides military education and appropriate practical training for men and women in the Armed Forces to prepare them for positions in communications-electronics activities and familiarize them with the application of doctrine, tactics, logistics and electronic techniques pertinent to the military command and control system.

“They sent me to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to basic radio operator school and to become a repairman,” he said, noting that he became not just a radio operator.

“I’m the supervisor as a sergeant. So they sent me to NCO Academy. You have to go to a leadership school because now you’re in the ranks of leadership,” he said, who would soon train and educate future non-commissioned officers to be fit, disciplined and ready to lead in their respective environments.

“That was a 16-week school. From there, I was assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a drill sergeant. Again, all this is building up to leadership. I came on orders to Germany again. That’s when the Berlin Wall was up,” Thomas said.

The Cold War, a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, began following World War II and ended in Berlin on Nov. 9, 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Thomas recalled his service before the wall’s fall.

“They sent me to tank commander school and from there I went to Berlin, Germany. I spent my whole tour inside of a tank. I ate, slept, whatever, inside of a tank for two years. The only exercise you get is when you get out the tank to go to the bathroom,” he said.

The experience was miserable and stressful for him.

“Imagine yourself being a mole in a hole. You’re in a tank. The only communication you have is with people that’s surrounding it. So I can imagine what the communist soldiers feel like when they have to go in a bunker,” Thomas said.

He continued, “From there, I went back to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to another phase of signal school. I’m probably a staff sergeant now. So leadership increases. I got promoted to sergeant 1st class. So now that’s another assignment to Korea. When I got there, I was the youngest person that the Army had that was put in the position of 1st sergeant.”

Thomas spent two years in Korea before leaving for Germany again.

“I was a ‘fixer.’ That’s what they called it. Go fix this, go fix that. So while I’m in Germany, after I got finished fixing, they sent me to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. That’s another communications school. So when I got there, instead of taking up a job up in administration, they put me in a unit,” where Thomas stayed for approximately nine months before being sent back up to brigade headquarters, he said.

Thomas’ leadership and skills did not go unnoticed by his commander.

“The commander said, ‘Well, you’re doing such a fine job, we’re going to send you to Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas. So I went to Fort Bliss, Texas. It’s a nine-month school to graduate from Sergeants Major Academy,” he said, noting that his next job was one where he got to further his leadership skills.

“I was the first Black and first enlisted person assigned to be in charge of over 500 soldiers and civilians at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I stayed there five years as the only and first enlisted person to be in charge of all those soldiers,” Thomas said.

It was then that he discovered the U.S. Army was not as fun as it once was when he first entered.

“Now I’m no longer having fun. So I decided, ‘You know what? You’ve been real lucky. You missed two trips to Vietnam. Never got shot on. Got shot at, but not on. Never got hurt. You better go home.’ So in 1985, I decided to retire,” said Thomas, who officially retired in April 1986.

He recalled his time as a cook at the White House and as a communications specialist at the Pentagon.

“I was in the aircraft on the way to Vietnam. They discovered I had two uncles already in Vietnam, and I was diverted from Vietnam. … They put me off at Fort Lewis, Washington. I went back to the White House as a cook. That’s how I ended up as a cook at the White House and a signal guy at the Pentagon,” Thomas said.

“As a cook at the White House, they have special meals. They had exotic meals, stuff that ordinary people don’t eat. It’s a military cafeteria. … You know a month out in advance as to what’s going to be on the menu. I knew how to cook before I even went in the military,” he said.

Thomas worked in the communications shop at the Pentagon.

“I kept communications. That was after I re-enlisted. As matter of fact, when I was at Bell Telephone in New York, I wasn’t fixing radios … I installed cable. … My job was a hazardous job. It wasn’t one of those luxurious jobs,” he said.

Defying expectations

Looking back over his nearly 30-year tenure in the U.S. Army, the 84-year-old Bowman native who now lives in Orangeburg said he liked best the opportunity that the military gave him to develop as a leader.

“Going to school in Bowman, South Carolina, teachers told me, ‘Boy, you’re not going to make it. You might make it as a farmer,’” he said.

“Then once I got in the military, you probably can just see the awards and decorations that I acquired. I didn’t think that I could do it. I outranked all my uncles that were in the military. If you talk about numbers, none of them exceeded sergeant,” Thomas said.

He continued, “I had one uncle stayed 25 years in the Army. When he retired, he retired as a buck sergeant. A buck sergeant is three stripes. When he sees me, he just laughs and says, ‘Boy, I sure did you good.’”

Thomas is the recipient of several medals and ribbons, including the Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; Army Occupation medal; Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and the NCO Professional Development Ribbon.

“People of high rank in high places, if they would see me today, they would say, ‘I told you, keep looking up.’ They told me that,” said Thomas, who has kept looking up and occasionally visits former teachers, including a 98-year-old, who once told him he would not amount to anything.

“I’m always courteous about it when I see them. I hug and kiss them, and I feel good about it. They say, ‘Boy, you did me well.’ That makes you laugh. I smile,” Thomas said.

While his jobs at the White House and Pentagon are among the things he has enjoyed least about his military experience, he said if he was called to perform his service all over again, he would.

“But I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much because there’s so much restriction on what you can do. … You can’t chastise soldiers in the Army anymore. You’re so restricted.

“The soldiers do it as a job. It’s not an honor, per say. Most of the kids that go in say, ‘Well, I’m going in because I can get an education.’ They’re more concerned about that than serving the country,” Thomas said.

Giving back

After tiring of hunting, fishing and traveling upon retirement, Thomas decided to become an ROTC instructor. He first served at Estill High School, where he spent a year, and then at Calhoun County High School, where he also taught building construction. He stayed at CCHS for 15 years until his retirement in 2000.

Thomas said being a part of The T&D Stories of Honor series meant much to him and gave him a chance to share an experience which helped him become the man he always knew he could be.

“It makes me feel good to tell somebody about my experience. Just looking at me, you wouldn’t know that I’ve been there and done that. As a matter of fact, I wish I could just go back in time,” he said.

“By being so young, I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I learned real quick. I knew what’s right and what’s wrong. You got books. Buy a book, read up on this if you got a question. … I learned real quick if you’re smart and you use it wisely and don’t abuse it, then you can use it. … With hard work and being honest, you can go anywhere,” Thomas said.

He and his wife, Ora, are the parents of three children: daughters, Starlena and Sheila, and son, Leanduwin. They are the grandparents of 10 and are also great-grandparents.

‘I was lucky’

“A lot of my friends out there wasn’t lucky, and they didn’t make it back. Some were wounded, but I came through without being wounded or hurt. I got a little shrapnel, but it wasn’t that much,” the North resident said.

By the time he left Vietnam in 1970, he said there were some memories that would always stay with him. 

The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.

“I think the conditions were a little bit better, but any time you’re in the field and you get fired on and shot at, it’s not good any time. I just thank the good Lord I made it back,” Adams said.

The Vietnam veteran was one of 14 children born to Norway couple Bailey and Bertie Lee Adams. He grew up on a farm with his siblings and recalled the experience of being drafted into the United States Army in 1969.

“Most of my brothers served in the military. I got drafted in 1969. It was quite an experience just being away from home, and then learning about new things and other people,” Adams said.

Some of those new things included “living with a couple hundred more men and learning how to get along and depending on others to do their job while you do yours,” he said.

He laughed when he recalled his sergeant not believing he was from Norway after initially mistaking the Orangeburg County town for the European country.

“The sergeant went and asked me where I was from, and I went, ‘I’m from Norway,’” he said, noting that the sergeant asked him the question again.

“I said, ‘Norway’ and I wouldn’t tell him it was South Carolina. He thought I was talking about the country, but he was always getting on me about that. I said, ‘It’s down next to Denmark, Finland and Sweden,’” Adams said, referring to the neighboring towns which also had the names of European countries.

Adams received basic training as a private at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and his Advanced Individual Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

He said he had a pretty good idea he was headed to Vietnam.

“I went through my combat training at Fort Polk. Back then they called that the ‘little Vietnam.’ So everybody that went there, most of them went to Vietnam.

“They taught you basic infantry training and what to look forward to and what not to do. When I got into Vietnam, they told you to listen for the sound of mortars, be on the lookout for different stuff,” Adams said.

He continued, “When I got to Vietnam, I was put in the First Infantry Division, and the company was the 26th Infantry. After seven months, I went to the 101st (Airborne) Division and got put in recon (reconnaissance).”

Adams started out as an ammo bearer while in the 1st Infantry Division. When his crew’s gunner was killed, he was promoted to that position.

“I was located mostly around the center of the country. Then after seven months, the First Division pulled out. At that time, I thought I was going to come home early,” said Adams, who instead was placed with the 101st Airborne’s reconnaissance unit.

“You’re going out in the field to looks for signs of the enemy. You got small teams, and we worked in six-man teams. You’d go out and look for signs … at a certain location and report back … and then they’ll send out a company-wide force to investigate. A lot of times you’d come under fire from the enemy. I was lucky,” he said.

Adams recalled the experience of staying on guard, including having to sometimes sleep in his helmet.

“When I first got there, you had to learn sleeping in the rain. … I learned right quick to learn how to sleep sitting up. You was always anxious, but you learned how to sleep in the rain. With monsoons and stuff, it rained every day,” he said, noting that he also had to be on the lookout for snakes and red ants.

“What I didn’t like was the red ants. … In the morning, you’d wake up and they’d be ants all around you. They’d be building mounds and stuff,” Adams said.

He was not prepared to share any specific stories of heroism or bravery during Vietnam. It was too hard for him, especially when he recalled the times he and his fellow soldiers would come under enemy fire.

“You’d be walking in line. They open fire, and you see the next guy to you go down. It’s just like seeing a brother go down,” Adams said.

‘Everybody had a job to do’

Adams said he learned teamwork and patience while in the military.

“Everybody had a job to do. I tried to do mine as best as I could,” he said, including with an M60 machine gun, which he said was a formidable weapon against the enemy.

He recalled the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, which was a 23-day battle between elements of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and two reinforced divisions of the People’s Army of Vietnam, or PAVN. It was the last major confrontation between the U.S. ground forces and the PAVN during the Vietnam War.

“We did have a firebase Ripcord that got overrun. We did a lot of recon around it, and then it got hit and stuff. … We defended that area, which was right over the A Shau Valley,” Adams said.

He was ranked as a sergeant E-5 upon leaving Vietnam in 1970 and said the experience changed him.

While he has some hearing loss, “I know it made me a better person. I had more patience,” said Adams, who also learned the value of teamwork.

“Doing my part and letting other people do their part, working as a team. You felt safe inside the firebases and stuff, but you knew outside that gate would be danger,” he said.

Faith also sustained Adams during his war experience.

“It was very important. Most of the time before you went out on a mission or something, the chaplain would have a service for the ones who wanted to be there. That was very important in getting close to the Lord,” he said, noting that his faith was built up from the time he was a child.

“Every Sunday, my mama and daddy made sure I was in church. I kind of drifted a little bit after I came home, but I’m happy to say I’m back in church now thanks to my wife and children,” Adams said.

He most enjoyed making new friends during his military experience, but what he liked the least was having to lose some of them.

“There was another guy from Norway. He was in the First Infantry Division, too. He talked kind of funny. I knew he was in Vietnam, but I didn’t know exactly where. We came in off a mission off the helicopters and (while) going into the firebase, I heard a voice. I said, ‘I know that voice,’” Adams said.

“I turned around and sure enough it was my friend from Norway. I was glad to see him. … I still see him every now and then today. We talk about it a little bit,” he said, noting that nightmares and other residual effects of war still haunted him upon his return home.

“I suffered bad dreams and stuff like that. Still yet today I don’t like people coming up behind me and being around loud noises. I don’t like to be around a large crowd,” Adams said.

He said he would do it all over again, though, if he had to.

“We got to defend our country. I feel like if we hadn’t went over there, communism would be more so in this country today. You see it now in Ukraine and what the people over there is having to put up with. It’s just unbelievable. You don’t want your country in that shape that they’re in right now,” Adams said.

Anti-war protests did not make him feel good upon his return from Vietnam, he said.

“I didn’t like the way I was treated. I could have been treated better. Being in a small town, that’s a little different, too. It wasn’t like in Orangeburg. You didn’t see that much protesting against the war. Now when I got back to the state of Washington when I came back from Vietnam, I seen a little bit on the streets down there and stuff. … It didn’t make me feel good,” Adams said.

‘I’ve come a long way’

Adams went to work upon coming back from Vietnam and eventually enrolled at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College to study industrial management.

“It took me a little while to adjust, naturally. I went to work. First I was doing carpenter work, and then I worked putting in burglar alarms. Then from there, I went and started Tech,” said Adams, who eventually moved into work as an electrical contractor, which is what he worked as for more than 30 years before retiring.

He and his loving wife of 50 years, Linda, are the parents of two daughters, Wendy and Carmen, and the grandparents of four.

Adams feels his life has come full circle.

“I think so. I’ve come a long way in life, I believe, from where I started. I come from a good family, and I think I got a good family now. My brothers and sisters, we’re all close,” he said.

“The world is a better place because of Angie Phelps. She is also a great advocate and cheerleader for OCtech,” Patrick says.

Angela Phelps was hired as a charge nurse at Jolley Acres in 2008 by Deana Houser, who took her under her wing and mentored her into caring greater for the elderly. In 2010, she was promoted to assistant director of nursing, She has been a proud LPN for 20 years and spent the majority of those years working in long-term care. She is currently enrolled in the ADN Transition Program at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and will graduate on May 10, 2022. Following completion of the program and passing the South Carolina State Boards, she intends to pursue a career in nurse management, long-term care and providing care and compassion to the elderly in the community.

So why did you want to be a nurse? After coming to South Carolina from Texas and working as an activities assistant in a local nursing home for a few years, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in nursing. That’s when I realized I wanted to do more to assist individuals who were adjusting to life in a nursing home after becoming unable to care for themselves at home or after being hospitalized. When I saw CNAs and nurses taking care of patients and their families on a regular basis, it was heartwarming to see that they didn’t treat it like a “work.” The individuals with whom I had the privilege of working … took pride in their work and treated the patients as if they were family. A Maya Angelou quote that I love: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. That’s the most important thing.’ When it comes to taking care of my patients and family members, this is a motto I live by every day. As I begin my 20th year in this field, I realize that this is a calling that I would not trade for anything.”

Memorable events: Both COVID-19 and Hurricane Matthew came to mind immediately when asked about a work-related memorable incident. Although COVID-19 is still fresh in my mind, receiving patients from Charleston following Hurricane Matthew in 2016 was one of my greatest accomplishments.

“At first, I didn’t know how we were going to help these patients that needed shelter. There is no doubt that the patients were afraid, but my coworkers and I were ready to take on the task. The first few days appeared to be quite hectic, as we tried to learn their demands while also attending to our own.

“Prior to the event’s conclusion, when it came time for the patients to return to their nursing home, they expressed reluctance. Several of them even sobbed and pleaded with us to stay with us. I can confidently state that this will always be a triumphant story for me, as it was made possible by some awesome coworkers.

“I understood that some people are in it for the money while others are sincerely invested. I must add that every one of my coworkers stood up to the plate and handled the situation admirably during that emergency crisis, from picking up extra shifts to working in areas to which they were not assigned.”

What is the most rewarding/challenging part of your job?: “The most rewarding/challenging part of my profession is adapting to emergent situations, which requires effective communication and teamwork. Additionally, the ability to cope with a variety of ethical personalities when it comes to patients, workers and family members.”

The future: My outlook on life is improving day by day. I intend to pursue a profession in nursing administration and geriatric mental health. As for the future of the nursing profession as a whole, I hope that we all continue to work together to address emerging health care challenges in both our communities and around the world. Above all, I wish/pray that we all continue to strive to be advocates for the people we care for.

COVID-19: “COVID-19 had a huge impact on both our community and the world, and it was very devastating. I was fortunate to be able to take a year off from management and reconnect with my passion for hands-on care. I spent a few months working on a COVID unit and was able to give even more of myself to those battling COVID-19.

“I think we all thought that COVID was just a phase and would be gone before we knew it. Here we are two years later, and we are still fighting the fight, maybe not as hard but we are. I think COVID-19 will be around for a while, just like the flu. Because I work in the health care field, I’m honored to keep fighting COVID-19 and other issues with all my other health care colleagues.”