A Salute to Lt. Col. Hank Thomas
There’s nothing like a man in uniform! As the first member of his family to serve in the military, former Marine officer, Presidential Staff member, and Rehoboth Beach resident Hank Thomas credits the smart styling of the Marine Corps’ “Dress Blues” with his youthful decision to join the Armed Services.
In the early ‘50s, Hank’s father was head of the CIA in Europe, where day-to-day interaction with military personnel was not lost on his son. The enthusiastic 16-year old enlisted in the Marine Reserves, finished high school and went to boot camp. In 1959, he received his commission from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), serving as Infantry Platoon Commander at Camp Pendleton. He traveled to Japan where he was promoted to First Lieutenant and Staff Officer, then returned to Quantico to earn the first of three Master’s degrees. He also married and became father to two sons.
These were the early days of the Vietnam conflict, and Hank was assigned to Southeast Asia as an “observer.” He was decorated for heroism (including the Vietnamese Medal of Honor), but was forbidden to wear the medals earned in a war that wasn’t even public knowledge at the time. He fought with the British Royal Marines in Borneo, also serving in India, the Philippines, Laos, Saudi Arabia and Northern Thailand. He became well-versed in “small unit encounters,” aka, guerilla warfare.
In the mid-‘60s, Hank was promoted to Captain and earned another degree at the Defense Intelligence College. He rose rapidly in the Intelligence community, but wanted to return to the Infantry in order to advance through the ranks of the Marine Corps. During combat in Vietnam, he was promoted to Major and became the Commanding Officer, Company I, of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (nicknamed “Suicide India” because of the dangers they routinely faced). During his 15 month tour, Major Henry Thomas served as the Regimental Operations Officer for 3,500 men. He witnessed the carnage of the 1968 Tet offensive, which history would remember as a wake-up call to an American public that had been led to believe that the Communists were unable to effectively defend themselves.
When he returned to the States, he was asked to serve as the Military Liaison to the Atomic Energy Commission in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He accepted, but his increasing awareness of his sexuality and the horrific experiences in combat were beginning to take their toll. Hank knew that his military days were numbered, so he attended night classes at the University of New Mexico, earning a Master’s in finance. Shortly thereafter, a friend introduced him to H. Ross Perot, president of Electronic Data Systems in Dallas, Texas. They hit it off, and Hank was hired as the Regional Vice President of EDS in New York.
This would be a much shorter article if Hank had stepped back and rested on his laurels. But his high-achieving nature, along with his military, finance and intelligence skills continued to propel him forward. He accepted the position of Executive Assistant to John Connolly, Richard Nixon’s Secretary of the Treasury, and shortly thereafter joined Nixon’s staff as Presidential Assistant. When the Environmental Protection Agency was formed in the early ‘70s, Hank became Director of the Standards and Regulation Division, remaining there throughout the Ford and Carter administrations. When Ronald Reagan was elected, Hank was asked to serve as Deputy Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, eventually becoming Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs. He holds the distinction of being one of the few to serve both as a member of the President’s National Intelligence Council and the President’s Foreign Intelligence Board.
Because of his influential status and high-level security clearances, Hank never dared to act on his ever-increasing attraction to men. And there was no end in sight: For the next three years he commuted every other week to Europe, maintaining residences in Vienna, Paris and Washington, D.C. as the U.S. Representative, with Rank of Ambassador, to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna; the Vice Chairman of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the head of the International Energy Agency in Paris. He also served as the Senior Intelligence Officer of the department, and a member of the President’s National Intelligence Council and National Foreign Intelligence Board. Among other decorations, Hank holds the Meritorious Service Award of the Executive Office of the President, and the Marine Corps Legion of Merit. Needless to say, Hank Thomas had a full schedule! He was so weary of airports that when TWA offered him thousands of miles of free flights he asked them to just send him a toaster.
At the end of the Reagan presidency, Hank was burned out. He left government service altogether and accepted the presidency of Trade Management International, a high-level consulting firm, becoming Managing Director for International Affairs after the company was absorbed by Chicago-based A. T. Kearney. It wasn’t very long until Hank proceeded to have a nervous breakdown. The floodgates of his long-repressed sexuality opened, and he came out to his wife and his co-workers. As a reward for finally being true to himself, he lost several houses, his cars and all his money in a contentious divorce. He also earned the disdain of his business associates. He went from making four-thousand dollars a day to minimum wage. Hank was starting from scratch, but he was free at last.
Hank’s first gay friend was none other than his former wife’s interior decorator (what were the odds?). From there he was introduced to the Rector of a local Episcopal church (also gay and partnered) and began to meet people. Hank smiles and rolls his eyes as he admits that he certainly “made up for lost time” in the intimacy department. In fact, his luck had not totally run out: He began to make a comfortable living from various consulting jobs, and even better, he met Kevin Litschgi, the Deputy Clerk for the Federal Bankruptcy Court for Maryland. The men took things slowly, but eventually moved in together. In 2005, their shared love for Rehoboth Beach culminated in the purchase of what is now their permanent home. Kevin’s humor and affinity for outrageous costumes are known throughout the community. Lieutenant Colonel Henry E. Thomas IV (U.S. Marine Corps, ret.) has been dragged (in the fullest sense of the word), kicking and screaming, to many a hilarious party. Their gallery of photos is second to none. As Hank paged through years of his and Kevin’s pictures, he sighed and muttered, “If the Marines could see me now!”
Sadly, Hank is now locked in combat with an enemy he never anticipated: cancer. In between courses of debilitating chemotherapy, he continues to lend his credibility to various gay military organizations, including his ultimately successful efforts to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He co-founded the VMI Gay and Lesbian Association, and he serves on the Development Advisory Board for CAMP Rehoboth. He and Kevin maintain close ties to All Saints’ Episcopal Church here in Rehoboth Beach, drawing strength from their friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners during this difficult time.
Bob Yesbek is a Rehoboth Beach resident. Email Bob@RehobothFoodie.com.