New sergeant major
Winfield resident, Donald Thomas, a newly promoted Army Sergeant Maj., gets rank pinned on by his wife, Glenda, and longtime friend, retired Army Sergeant 1st Class, Samuel Ruiz, at the Office of the Army's Chief of Public Affairs, in Los Angeles.
Special
A Columbia County resident with 19 years of service has been promoted to the U.S. Army's highest enlisted grade of E-9, sergeant major.
Donald M. Thomas, 45, of Winfield, was promoted Aug. 1 in a ceremony at the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, where he serves as a technical adviser to the entertainment industry.
With the promotion, Thomas incurs a permanent change of station move to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he will study six months at the Army's Sergeant Majors Academy to certify his promotion before being assigned to one of only 19 sergeants-major positions worldwide in his specialty of public affairs.
Thomas is a 1976 graduate of Harlem High School and a 1981 graduate of the University of Georgia, where he holds a bachelor's degree in advertising copywriting from the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism.
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Air Force Airman Quinton R. Taylor has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.
During the six weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization and military customs and courtesies. He performed drill and ceremony marches and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises and special training in human relations.
In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Taylor is the son of Maxine and Walter Taylor of Dunes Drive, Evans, Ga. He is a 2002 graduate of Lakeside High School.