JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Anthony Austin was looking through his emails and noticed many of you have sent me some great pictures of your military heroes. This week, we want to show you some of those photos and talk about their amazing achievements.
Catherine Thomas sent me this picture of Airman 1st Class Cameron Thomas. He was born in Jacksonville and attended Duval County Public Schools. Thomas went to the U.S. Air Force basic training program in Texas in fall of 2021. He’s currently deployed in Southwest Asia. This month he was recognized as “Warrior of the Week.” Thomas manages Information Technology inventory. I’m told that’s work that normally would be accomplished by four to six people. He’s a one-man shop controlling a combined $14.7 million in assets.
This is a picture of Lieutenant Andy Coen and Lieutenant Ted Diamond. They are both active-duty naval flight officers at Patrol Squadron Thirty at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
In addition to their careers as Naval Officers, they are both American Red Cross volunteers. In October, Lieutenant Coen and Lieutenant Diamond represented the Red Cross at an event called “St. Johns County Homeless Veterans Stand Down.” Together, they were able to give back to homeless veterans in the community, many of whom were affected by Hurricane Ian. At the event, many homeless veterans were given new clothes, medical care, food, supplies, haircuts and even new bicycles.
If you have a story of service to share, email storiesofservice@firstcoastnews.com.
