Local soldier injured in ambush

Dave Tomas has a family deeply rooted in the military. He served in the Army in the late 1970s, while his father before him, Barney Tomas, is a World War II Army veteran. Dave?s sons have upheld the family tradition. Mike and Matt are currently serving in different branches of the military, while his youngest son, James, would like to join the Air Force after high school. The Tomas family knows all too well there are certain inherent dangers that come from serving in the military, especially in a country such as war-torn Iraq. That reality hit a little too close to home for the Tomas? when PV 2 Mike Tomas, serving with the Army?s Air Defense Artillery Transportation Unit came under fire February 27 as the soldiers were trying to break for lunch. During the attack, Tomas took a bullet in the chest, which shattered the ceramic plate under his flack jacket, and saving his life.

MIKE?S MOTHER, Elaine Tomas, talked to Mike on the telephone last Saturday and said, ?he?s feeling pretty good.? Mike is wrapping up a two week stint in Qatar before heading back to the battle lines, which could be as soon as this weekend. Mike has been serving in the Army for only nine months and had been in Iraq for less than a month before the ambush 30 miles south of Baghdad. According to Mike?s brother, Marine Lance Corporal Matt Tomas, who is in town this week on leave, there are not very many safe places in Iraq.

?It does not matter where you are over there,? said Matt Tomas, a 2005 RCHS graduate. ?Whenever you stop you?re a target, even if you are moving you are a target.? There are dangers around every corner, which come from snipers, or women and children wired with explosives, said Matt. ?They were stopped and rounds started coming down range at them,? said Matt Tomas. ?He was going for the radio to keep in contact about what was going on, and then, I guess he got popped in the chest.?

The impact knocked Mike down and left a massive bruise on his chest, said Matt. It did not prevent Mike from getting up and returning the fire. ?He started firing in the direction the bullets were coming from,? said Matt. ?I would not rule out that anybody else was hit,? said Matt Tomas. ?WE DO what we?ve got to do,? said Dave Tomas. ?I always worry about both of the boys. He

felt it. He knows it was close. I feel sorry for him (Mike) and I pray for him every night.? Elaine said there is not a minute that goes by that she does not worry. ?I am doing better this week,? she said. She realizes that ?Anything could have happened. He could have lost a leg, an arm, or have been shot in the head.? Elaine?s mother, who lives in California, has organized a prayer group and prays for his safety on a continuous basis. Elaine added that she ?worries about everyone that has a kid over there.? Dave thought Mike might be in line for a Purple Heart, but Matt said the injuries have to be more severe.

?It takes a lot to receive a purple heart,? he said. ?You basically have to be sent home to get a purple heart. There is a lot of paperwork to get a ribbon like that.? Matt Tomas had been stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He?ll attend a six-week Marine Security Guard School in Virginia. ?I worry about him, actually,? said Matt. ?Just knowing that his kind of stuff can happen at anytime. I do not want to hear about my brother getting dropped by someone he never even sees.? Dave added that it highlights the situations facing young men and women in harm?s way in Iraq. Whether you agree or disagree with the war, one thing is clear, Dave said, ?These kids are doing their job.?