Sgt. Lloyd volunteers to return to Iraq
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
Sgt. Thomas Lloyd, 26, a 2001 Onaway High School graduate, continues to answer the call of duty to his country and fellow servicemen as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a second deployment to Iraq in June.
Sgt. Lloyd has been serving in the Army National Guard for more than four years. He has a 16-month deployment under his belt and has volunteered to return again with F Co, 425th Infantry; this time for 12 months.
?We are going to Iraq to support the other armed forces in OIF, complete our job, and go do what we are trained to do,? said Lloyd, in Posen to watch his niece Ashley LeCureux run in a middle s
AFTER HIGH school, Lloyd attended Lansing Community College to study aviation maintenance. >From there he went into the military and continued his schooling before volunteering for his first deployment from 2006 to 2007. He came back last September. Lloyd’s unit is a very well trained infantry unit and has the utmost confidence in completing their mission, he said.
During his first tour to the country he ran into Specialist Marty Diller, and the two will be deploying together again.
?I gained a lot of experience from my first deployment,? he said. There also were some close calls, as Lloyd?s unit came across many improvised explosive devices, three of which were near Sgt. Lloyd, causing him some hearing loss. Onaway, Millersburg and Tower are small towns in northern Michigan, but surprisingly enough, he ran into locals also serving their country, such as Dusty Bidwell, Dan Porter, Todd Carter and Marty Diller. Lloyd has a 10-month-old son, Gabriel.