Thomas's father was a career Navy officer.[3]
Thomas, and three of his brothers, are graduates of the United States Naval Academy. All are retired, including one who was in the Marine Corps. Another brother served in the Peace Corps. His two uncles also were Navy officers via Officers' Candidate School programs.
Thomas graduated in 1981.
The fire-damaged uniform Thomas was wearing on 9-11.
Captain David Thomas was serving in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when al Qaedahijackers crashed a passenger jet into it, causing an explosion, fire, and consequent injuries and loss of life.[2]
Thomas was one of the people who spontaneously volunteered to enter the damaged part of the building to rescue survivors.
When asked about his rescue efforts on September 11, Thomas replied:
I am who I am, a trained sailor who sails ships at sea. You run toward your shipmate in times of trouble.
His fire-damaged uniform now hangs in the Smithsonian's American History gallery.[2]
On April 2, 2009, Thomas defended inviting visiting VIP entertainers to view detainees at Guantanamo.[4]Miss Universe 2008Dayana Mendoza and
Miss USA 2008Crystle Stewart had both been invited to visit Guantanamo on a USO tour, where they signed autographs. Both women stirred controversy after they published accounts of their visits. Thomas had authorized the women to view captives.[5][6][7][8][9]Carol Rosenberg, reporting in the Miami Herald, wrote that Thomas "brushed aside" concerns that by allowing civilians to view the captives he was violating the clause in the Geneva Conventions that protect captives from the humiliation of public display.
Thomas asserted that the beauty queens had been allowed to view the detainees in Guantanamo just as if they were reporters.[4]
Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic
On July 10, 2009, he began his assignment as commander, Carrier Strike Group 2, serving in that capacity until July, 2010. In July 2010, he was named Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT), the senior Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) in the Atlantic Fleet, a position he held until September 4, 2013.[10]
BAE
After he left the Navy Thomas was hired as an executive at BAE Systems Inc., a firm which builds and maintains large vessels, including US Navy vessels.[11] In 2018 he was put in charge of BAE's San Diego facility.[12]
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Greg Trauthwein (2018-02-09). "BAE Systems Jacksonville: Ship Repair's 'Destination of Choice'". Marine Link. Archived from the original on 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2020-01-16. In fact, since Thomas took command of the yard in 2014 (*Note: David M. Thomas, Jr., was recently named to lead BAE ship repair yard in San Diego after three years as Vice President & General Manager, Southeast Shipyards, Ship Repair, BAE Systems in Jacksonville), he credits a change in people skills as one of the leading changes at the yard during his tenure.
