Thomas J. Heron II

Thomas Heron II joined the Marine Corps two weeks after graduating from Centereach High school. Thomas went to Paris Island for Boot Camp. At twenty-nine he enrolled in a communications school in Palms, California. He was assigned to 9th Communications Battalion and shortly after, volunteered to go to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, where he was deployed in the Western Pacific.  

Following that deployment he went to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and did two deployments. One deployment was Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and the other was to Somalia. Thomas was stationed at Camp Pendleton for the duration of his time on active duty. He completed seven years, five months and seven days with an Honorable Discharge. After completing active duty he went into the Reserves. His final station was Amityville N.Y. with Alpha Company, Sixth Communications Battalion. He completed a total of thirteen years, ending October of 1999, again with an Honorable Discharge as a Sergeant.  

Thomas was a part of two units Noncombatant evacuation teams. The highest award he received was two Navy Marine Corps Medals. He was a part of a five Marine team who worked on the development and operation of the Satellite and Line of sight antennas on the C-17. He is now a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1992, and is also a life member of The Marine Corps League.  

Thomas joined the New York City Police Department in December of 1997 and is a proud member of the Selden Fire Department. While in the NYPD, he worked in the 109th Precinct in Flushing Queens. He was then transferred to the 115 Precinct in Jackson Heights. As a member of the NYPD he was an integral part of the team in the days and months that followed the Sept 11th World Trade Center Attacks.