Plant Soil and Environmental Science major, Thomas Grimes is a junior at West Texas A&M University. Grimes is also a student veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps.
Grimes relayed his adventures and travels while being a Sergeant in the Marines.
“The first two years I was in the infantry,” Grimes said. ““I did counterterrorism, and it was a very small unit, so I was just with a platoon group.”
While Grimes and I sat at a quiet table in Canyon, Texas, Grimes related stories from across the world.
“We went to Europe,” Grimes said. “And the whole thing was if something were to happen to the U.S. embassy, or assets we would be some of the first line guys to come and kind of reinforce that.”
Grimes was also deployed overseas to Australia, Japan, Spain, Germany and Portugal while being in the service from 2016 until 2021. Grimes told stories of his time in the military that are hard for the general public to sometimes perceive.
“I think the most rewarding thing is really just at the end or a terrible event, realizing that it’s actually not that bad and seeing the human resilience of 18-year-olds en masse, I think, is a really neat thing,” Grimes said. “So I think the most rewarding thing is seeing a lot of the true human spirit kind of powering through.”
He related a specific memory he has while being in boot camp and that highlights both the mental and physical challenges that individuals persevere through in order to become a Marine.
“I remember in boot camp the night before we would earn the title of Marine and receive our eagle, globe, and anchor,” Grimes said. “We still had a massive hike to complete after enduring three days of the final trials in our 13 weeks of training. I thought to myself that I was just getting started, this is just the bar to entry, and that the hardest challenges were actually ahead of me. This realization was both daunting and sobering, but it really helped me in the long run, I think.”
The 27-year-old and Amarillo native talked about his childhood and his motivation to join the military.
“As a kid, I always liked the army GI Joes and played Army stuff like that,” Grimes said. ““And as I got older, it was something that kind of continued on with what I wanted to do. And so it felt like the right thing to do.”
His journey into the military did change courses with the decision to switch from joining the Army to the Marine Corps.
“I don’t regret joining the Marines at all, but the Marines was a choice kind of last minute,” Grimes said. “My entire life, I was like, ‘I’m gonna be in the army,’ and as I got a little older, I was like ‘I’m going to be a combat medic,’ that’s what I wanted to do.I knew that it was something that I wanted to do and that I would feel like I missed out on a chunk of what I wanted to do with my life had I not joined,” Grimes said. “I felt like something I needed to do for me.”
Grimes also explained the influences that his family members who served during World War II had on him as a child.
“It was something that was probably ingrained in my DNA,” Grimes said. “It was something very clearly I was gonna do since I could walk and talk.”
Grimes also explained the lessons he learned and how his childhood affected his time in the military.
“I think a good one for me is how to manage people,” Grimes shared. “I was lucky enough to have a really good uprising where my parents were good influences. Going into the military, the joke is you learn how to clean yourself and dress properly and time management all the things. My parents made sure I did that already so I got to really focus on how to manage people. So I spent a lot of time as a team leader. The best lesson is just managing people, how everyones a little different”
Grimes also talked about the sacrifices that not only he made, but troops around the world.
“The most challenging part was actually being away from my family because I lucked out and I have an awesome family,” Grimes said fondly. “There was a period where I didn’t go home for two years straight, so like coming home and two years of age on grandparents, that’s probably the hardest part.”
Grimes saw a different future ahead of him than the one he has today.
“I really did think it was going to be a career,” Grimes said about the Marine Corps. “It was mostly because I had an absolute aversion to learning. I didn’t want to be a student. And it was the military that kinda taught me how to be a better student. So I did not see myself going to college. I didn’t think I would be in an ag degree or even a science degree.”
Grimes talked about his experience transitioning from a life in the military to college student life.
“I think it was pretty easy, most people feel like their transition is hard because they are leaving behind a lot of friends for the first time,” Grimes shared. “But really, I was super excited to get back home. I was so excited to get back to the flat dusty plains.”
Grimes shared that his choice to go to WT was due to the fact that it was close to his home, Amarillo, and that his mother also attended WT.
“I’ve really really enjoyed it,” Grimes said. “I was apprehensive at first. I never really felt like a student and university is no joke. It’s difficult, but the Ag department has some wonderful instructors.”
Grimes has been involved outside the classroom and joined the WT soil judging team.
“The veterans thing is just a job you did, and so it can make you have some cool stories and cool experiences,” Grimes said.
