When not serving, Lt. Renard Thomas helps others succeed in college.

Lieutenant Renard Thomas, a COC employee, is on his way to help yet again.

Less than nine months after returning to work from a 12 month deployment in Iraq, he has been activated again to help fight the wildfires that have ravaged northern California over the last month. 

Lt. Thomas will spend the first few days gathering equipment and processing paperwork, followed by a week in a specialized fire safety course. After that, it will be up to his commanders to decide how he is needed, or if he is even needed at all.

Though leaving his job and his family is difficult, Lt. Thomas says that he is excited to help.

“This one’s really close to home. And this is what the National Guard is for…state emergencies” he told KHTS. “Luckily, my employer is really understanding and supportive when I get activated.” 

[view:node_ad=5]Thomas is in the California National Guard, and he serves as the Veterans Administration Certifying Official at College of the Canyons.  

In his day to day work, he says that he tries to incorporate his personal experience to help military service members and their dependents take advantage of the many programs available to them to continue their education.

“I interview every veteran, service member or dependent that participates in our program so that I can advise them on resources that they might have access too,” he said. “The other thing that I try to do is to really try and help them succeed in college. It’s really personal to me, because I know the difference that an education can make in life.”

While it is unknown when Lt. Renard will be able to re-assume his post at COC, the military service program is still operational and support staff has stepped in to assist until his return.