Former St. Regis student honored as Army commissioned officer; stationed at Fort Meade
Former St. Regis student, Tomi J. Thompson, was recently honored as a CW3 commissioned officer in the Army during a ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo courtesy of Nancy Smith).
On August 4, 2017, Tomi J. Thompson of St. Regis, was promoted to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3).
The ceremony was held at the “Birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner,” the historic Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine in Baltimore, Maryland.
Thompson, joined by friends and family, participated in the flag-changing ceremony in the Star Fort to raise the Garrison Flag, which is the largest battle flag flown and the inspiration for Francis Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner after the victory of the Battle of Baltimore, in the War of 1812.
At the base of the flag pole, Thompson’s best friend CW3 Samara Scheckman administered the oath of office. Thompson’s daughter, Kaydence, and her mother, Nancy Smith of St. Regis, had the honor of pinning on her new rank of CW3.
CW3’s are commissioned officers and advanced level technical experts. Warrant officers make up less than 3 percent of the total Army strength. They have a great responsibility in their fields and are seen as vital to their organizations.
Thompson is currently stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland.
CW3 Thompson is a 1994 graduate of St. Regis High School and the daughter of Nancy and Jay Smith of St. Regis and the late Thomas N. Thompson. She joined the U.S. Army in March of 1995 and has received numerous awards and honors throughout her 22-year Army career.
She credits growing up in St. Regis and the opportunities a small town provides for much of her success in the U.S. Army. Last year, she spoke to the students at St. Regis School and encouraged them to take advantage of every opportunity St. Regis has to offer and to aim high for their future.
She said, “In St. Regis, I was always encouraged to try every opportunity and always felt appreciated as an important member of the team. Since you are in a small school, you have a great opportunity to work together and that provides confidence and courage to try new things because you are not alone, you are a team.
“Even though I wasn’t always the best, having the ability to try new things without the stress of failure was an amazing thing.”
Thompson said she felt that participation in student government, leadership, music, and sports taught her that being a member of a team is much more valuable than being the best.