Boatswains Mate Second Class Nathan Thomas had the high honor of sitting with Mrs. Bush in the First Lady’s box during the Presidents State of the Union Speech this evening. The following is from the White House Press Relase.
Since joining the military in August 2001, Boatswains Mate Nathan Thomas has conducted back-to-back USCG deployments to Iraq, spending a total of seven consecutive months in the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006. While deployed to U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, he served as a primary maritime boarding officer, providing around the clock response capability in the North Arabian Gulf, protecting the two major Iraqi offshore oil terminals from potential terrorist attacks. BM2 Thomas designed a law enforcement tactics video and lesson plans to train military personnel on proper tactics, mission planning, close quarters combat, and appropriate use of force. He specifically used these resources in conducting training for over 500 foreign military servicemen including Marines and Navy personnel from Iraq and Kuwait. In addition, BM2 Thomas trained 80 U.S. Coast Guard and 60 U.S. Navy members deployed to the Persian Gulf in high-risk non-compliant boarding procedures, thereby improving the capabilities and readiness of Coalition forces.
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