PANAMA CITY, Fla. - For the Florida National Guard's Sgt. Jacob Thomas, the Army Core Values of Loyalty and Selfless Service may run a little deeper than most.
When the 31-year-old medic from 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment, found out he won a brand-new car from a dealership in Pensacola, it didn't take him long to decide a fellow Soldier needed the vehicle more than he did.
Thomas' platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. William McNeil, had been fighting a battle with leukemia, and with a new vehicle McNeil could take his family with him to Gainesville for his treatments. Thomas said he initially considered selling the new Kia Soul to McNeil, but after a little reflection he just gave the car to his ailing platoon sergeant.
"He needed it more than I did," Thomas explained. "I didn't need a car and I didn't need the money...it was nice knowing he could take his whole family down to Gainesville with him."
A slew of media attention and articles followed the selfless action, but Thomas downplayed the recognition; he explained that his medical platoon at Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT) is "pretty tight" and the gift was just "one Soldier looking out for another."
"As medics we tend to be pretty close...we have that bond where we are all medics together," Thomas said.
Thomas has been in the Florida National Guard since 2007 and deployed with the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) to Kuwait in 2010. He added that he really just wished the attention was focused on McNeil rather than himself.
According to 53rd IBCT Commander Col. Mike Canzoneri, this type of action really highlights how National Guard Soldiers live the Army Values both on and off duty.
"The Army Core Value of Loyalty includes the concept of standing up for "fellow Soldiers' and "devoting yourself to something or someone,'" Canzoneri explained. "Selfless Service includes "doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain' and adding to the improvement of the Army's welfare.
"Sgt. Thomas showed these values in his recent actions, and I see that Soldiers throughout the 53rd consistently embody these ideals - often without any recognition," Canzoneri added. "Like in this instance, Soldiers try to live those Core Values each day in everything they do."
The attention was unexpected and unsolicited by Thomas, who said it is a little awkward at times because people are commending him about giving the car away.
"It's awesome, but I guess one of the reasons it doesn't seem that big of a deal to me is because I "just' won a car," Thomas said. "They basically just handed it to me. There are a lot of people who work their tails off to get money (for cars)."
But he is also glad he could help out a friend and a fellow Soldier in a time of need - especially a member of his platoon whom he respects.
"(Staff) Sgt. McNeil has always taken care of us," Thomas said. "He has always made sure that our missions are fair. He stands up for us when he has to…He looks after his troops."