By Kelly Kettering/American Red Cross

During Veterans Month, we recognize and celebrate all veterans, including members of the American Red Cross workforce who once wore the uniform and now continue their service through the Red Cross. For Gerald Thomas, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Red Cross Los Angeles Region, that bond began decades earlier—when the organization first delivered life-changing messages to him as a young Marine.

"When I was in bootcamp, I learned that my oldest son had been born through a Red Cross emergency communication message. That was my first experience with the Red Cross," Thomas recalled.

Later, while stationed in Arizona, another Red Cross message brought heartbreaking news: his grandmother had passed away. That notification ensured he could return home, attend her funeral and grieve with his family.

Enlisting in the late 1980s, Thomas rose through the ranks to become a company commander, serving on the front lines of Operation Iraqi Freedom, taking part in the initial push to Baghdad, and later joining the security team for the U.S. embassy during military operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. Over his 21 years of service, he also held assignments as a Congressional Fellow, the Marine Corps liaison to the Joint Staff and Deputy Director of the Marine Corps Congressional Liaison Office to the U.S. House of Representatives. A two-tour combat veteran, he earned the Bronze Star with “V” for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Even while serving, Thomas was already drawn to humanitarian work and public service. In 2010, he became a Senior Adviser to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy and later served as a military legislative assistant for a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 

After twenty-one years in the military, Thomas was ready for a change, but he still wanted to be of service.

Thomas’s connection to the Red Cross deepened more than a decade ago, when he first joined as a volunteer. From there, he went on to serve as Director of Strategic Planning and Program Management for the Service to the Armed Forces line of service, before becoming chief executive officer of the Northern Florida Region, followed by COO for the LA Region. 

That move brought him and his wife, a fellow Red Cross employee and native Angeleno, back to Southern California in 2021. As COO, Thomas helps run one of the nation’s busiest Red Cross regions, working closely with the CEO and leadership team to support staff and volunteers, manage resources and implement cost-saving initiatives that minimize waste and promote green energy and sustainable systems wherever possible. Overseeing daily operations, his leadership ensures the Red Cross is always ready to serve the community when it’s needed most.

For Thomas, Veterans Month is a time of reflection and gratitude. He speaks with deep respect for the generations who came before him, especially veterans of color who paved the way and with pride in the young people who continue to answer the call to serve.

“It is definitely important for those folks that have raised their right hand and sacrificed tremendously to wear the cloth of this nation to be recognized for that service” Thomas shared. “I’ve had a chance to spend some time with the first Black Marines that served during WWII. They are a special bunch, because the Marine Corps was the last to integrate and even when they came in, they had to build their own boot camp and then process through that boot camp before being sent over to fight. And in a lot of cases, they didn’t really have the opportunity to fight. I just think, for those folks and the young people now, with the world being unstable as it is, to put their right hand in the air and say, ‘send me,’ I think that just takes a special type of person and we should celebrate them.”

Do you want to make a difference in a veteran’s life? Join our Service to the Armed Forces volunteers today by visiting redcross.org/saf.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.