Dates served: Oregon National Guard, 03May2001 to 29JUL2003 United States Army, 30JUL2003 to 27MAR2013 Retired on 28MAR2013 Combat Deployments :Operation Iraqi Freedom, Anbar Province, Iraq, August 2004 to July 2005 Operation Iraqi Freedom, Baghdad, Iraq, November 2007 to January 2009 Operation Enduring Freedom, Farah Province, Afghanistan, August 2010 to April 2011 Thomas Janusz was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He moved to Roseburg, Oregon at the age of 4. He graduated from Roseburg High School in 2001 and began serving in the Oregon Army National Guard as an infantryman in May of that year. Thomas deployed to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt for six months from July 2002 to January 2003. He left the National Guard in July 2003 to enlist in the Active Component of the U.S. Army. His first duty assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment in the Republic of Korea. After almost 12 months, he was transferred to the 1st Battalion , 503rd Infantry Regiment and deployed to Anbar Province Iraq in the summer of 2004. His deployment ended in July 2005 and he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Thomas volunteered and was accepted to reclassify as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician. He completed training in April 2007 and was assigned to the 62nd Ordnance Company (EOD), Fort Carson, Colorado. Thomas deployed to Iraq a second time for 15 months between November 2007 and January 2009 and served as an EOD Team member in Baghdad He deployed to Afghanistan on August 2010 and served as an EOD Team Leader in Farah Province. On the 5th of April 20011, Thomas was severely injured while rendering safe an Improvised Explosive Device. His recovery lasted almost 2 years at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. While stationed there, he spent 3 months as an Intelligence Analyst Intern with the San Antonio Regional Office of the Drug Enforcement Agency. Thomas medically retired on March 27, 2013 after almost 12 years of military service. He resides in the Roseburg area and is a Life Member of VFW Post 2468.