Reaching Maximum Capacity
How retired U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Chris Thomas teaches what “right” looks like.
Resilience and effective time management are skills that Chris Thomas learned from his mother, Doretha, while growing up in Greenville, SC. A single parent of four children, she instilled in her son the skills that would later help him navigate any obstacles in his path.
In high school, Chris was a member of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and by junior year, aspired to join the U.S. Marine Corps. Unlike others who had visited his school, the recruiter he met focused on what Chris could do for the Marine Corps versus what they could do for him – a concept rooted in service that Chris responded to.
“At that moment, I was hooked and I remained hooked for 20 years,” he said.
Redefining Service
In June 2001, Chris joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Although he was well-informed going in, his first day of service was not what he had expected.
“Day one was a culture shock,” remembers Chris. Between the sleep deprivation, fast pace, and the challenge of working together as a cohesive unit with 60-70 people he’d never met (while being yelled at by his superiors), Chris received a crash course in the importance of putting others before oneself.
Chris graduated boot camp on August 31st, 2001. Less than two weeks later, on September 11th, he was returning from a day trip to Columbia, SC to check-in as a Recruiter Assistant when he heard the news that an event had occurred and the country was under a heightened state of alert.
“I realized the Marines was no longer the peacetime Corps that I had just joined but that we could be deployed at any moment,” said Chris.
Priming the Pump
From December 2001 until April 2005, Chris was stationed in the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron in Beaufort, SC, and deployed to Iwakuni, Japan during that time.
After four years in a special duty assignment as a Drill Instructor in Parris Island, SC, from 2009-2010, he performed high-level aviation logistics in Norfolk, VA, and in 2010 was deployed for combat in Afghanistan.
In addition to his military experience, Chris began pursuing higher education and became the first in his family to graduate with a college degree.
After training Navy Officers at Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, Chris was chosen to serve as First Sergeant, while also graduating with his Master’s Degrees in Public Administration. The following year, he became an Adjunct Professor for the Davis Defense Group in Jacksonville, NC. In 2019, he was selected to the rank of Sergeant Major, an Elite 9 status, and served as the Recruiting Station Harrisburg Sergeant Major.
Chris’ path toward earning an education and the experience of a senior level advisor in uniform was inspired by mentors including Captain Franklin, Commander Hawkins, Master Gunnery Sergeant Dendy, and others.
“I was very fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career who saw things in me I didn’t see in myself and who took me under their wing,” he said.
In 2021, after 20 years of service (including non-combat tours in Japan, Romania, and Norway) Sergeant Major Chris Thomas retired from the Marine Corps. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Marine Corps Commendation Medal, among others.
Excelling to Great Heights
In 2022, Chris founded Elite 9 Veteran Talent Acquisition Services, LLC, now called Elite 9 Talent Solutions.
Providing employment placement and resume writing skills, as well as business consulting services, including leadership development training and workplace conflict resolution, Elite 9 Talent Solutions is an Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce member who provides training and customized solutions for clients within flexible 30-day, six-month, and year-long plans (depending on their specific needs).
On February 7, 2024, Elite 9 Talent Solutions will be hosting an Upstate Leadership Series: Organizational Culture & Change Management. This training is for individuals from all different industries looking to enhance their leadership capabilities and drive impactful change. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending around noon at the State University of New York- Adirondack Saratoga campus, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from expert speakers focused on emerging leadership trends, along with gaining tools and strategies that can be applied to their own leadership practices.
Chris is also currently pursuing his Doctorate in Education, the final step to achieving the academic credentials that demonstrate he has completed the path he started on nearly a decade ago, he shared.
In 2021, Chris married his wife, Anne, a Lake George, NY native, and joined the Marine Corps League Memorial Detachment 2, based in Hudson Falls, where he serves as Paymaster. The following year he became a board member of the Vet Voice Foundation, empowering political advocacy for veterans.
Whether in his career in the U.S. Marine Corps, educational pursuits, or civilian life, underlining everything that Chris Thomas has done is his unwavering belief that one must face adversity head-on and complete the mission. Teaching by example, he strives to be a positive role model for his two sons, ages 3, and 6 months old.
“It’s my goal to teach them what ‘right’ looks like,” said Chris.