Thomas Vandling remembered

Army Sgt. Thomas Edward Vandling Jr. firmly believed he was helping the people in Iraq and especially enjoyed interacting with the children, his family said Thursday.
Vandling, 26, of Bellevue, was killed on New Year's Day while on combat patrol when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle near Babil Province, the Department of Defense announced last night.

His family, which was notified by military personnel on Tuesday, issued a statement, saying Vandling "will always be our hero."

Vandling, who was on his second tour of duty, loved being a soldier and believed his first priority was "to protect and serve the United States of America, ensuring everyone's safety before his own," the statement read.

"The first words that come to mind when anyone thinks of him are honor, integrity and loyalty."

The statement -- issued by his parents, Thomas and Dianne, and his siblings, James, Michael and Elizabeth -- reads, in part:

"Tommy firmly believed that we, as a country, should be in Iraq helping the people. ... He especially enjoyed interacting with the Iraqi children, saying that he received the most satisfaction from their smiles and their accepting hearts.

"(He) could always be the mediator in any situation. ... He was an intelligent, caring and loving person whose laugh could light up the whole room and whose only weakness was his kindness. Tom's lifelong dreams were to one day write books, become famous and provide and shelter everyone he loved.

"When people would thank Tom for being a soldier, he would acknowledge their gratitude with humbleness, knowing in his heart that he was doing the only job that ever truly mattered to him."

Vandling was a specialist assigned to the 303rd Psychological Operations Company based in Oakdale.

He joined the Army Reserve in August 2001 and had a tour of duty with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Afghanistan two years later, said Tina Beller, of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command public affairs office in Fort Bragg, N.C.

He was a student at the University of Pittsburgh where he majored in both psychology and philosophy. He was deployed in Iraq last spring and was promoted to a noncommissioned officer in September.

Vandling received numerous military awards and medals, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal.

From the Tribune Review

Related Link:
Thomas Vandling reported killed in Iraq