BOSTON — Thomas LaRose served his country in the Army as a first lieutenant from 2017 to 2021. 

 

Growing up in Athol, he graduated from Clark University in Worcester, earning a degree in history before enlisting. He did his basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and attended Officer Candidate School there as well as Armor School. 

 

"It was definitely exciting," he said. "I had a long family lineage of service, I was ready to go. I was a little older so I wasn't as nervous as some of the younger kids and had a whole summer to get ready ...

 

"It was a great experience, enjoyed it very much."

 

His first assignment would be with the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Hood, Texas, which was part of the 1st Cavalry Division. Here he would do his platoon leader and executive officer time, then deploy to Romania in 2019.

 

"We had a good Thanksgiving meal, we couldn't leave the base as we were under General Orders," he said. "My first time off the post was around Christmastime. We went to Prague for Christmas and explored the German Christmas shops. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience."

 

I asked LaRose his thoughts on the qualities of a good leader and he offered this: Level-headedness, adapt quickly and roll with the punches, think of a solution/adjustment, never ask anyone to do anything you wouldn't do or haven't done yourself and lean on those that have experience, trust them. 

 

Was he ever afraid? "Not really. In basic training I was doing my first live fire and got matched up with a guy that was a mess. That was a little scary." he said. 

 

LaRose also spoke of a moment of pride he had during his service. "We were attached to an infantry company as an armored platoon. There were many Ranger-qualified soldiers and we were going to do a ruck march [carry a weighted backpack]. Every single one of our tank guys made it. A few soldiers started to falter, one on particular — I ran back and forth trying to pump him up and motivate him. It was the turning point for him as a soldier," he said. "If you keep working, there's always something there, finding inner motivation and never quitting on yourself. That was a very proud moment for me." 

 

Mentors during his service? "Without question, Staff Sgt. Jesus Alejandro, an Iraq vet. He showed me the ropes. He just retired and got his MBA. All my company commanders and first sergeants had a profound impact on me," he said.

 

I asked him about the mindset that he had to be in as a tank commander. 

 

"You're in a 70-plus ton vehicle and lots of things could go wrong," he said. "We preached safety constantly, we rehearsed, did countless run-throughs. Our company had the highest collective gunnery score in our brigade. tankers have a closer relationship — four people in a crew and everyone had a responsibility. You have each other's backs because you're in a tight space, sometimes for a couple of days. It's a very collaborative effort." 

 

His thoughts on being a veteran? "Means a lot. It was something I always wanted to do," he said. "I have a long lineage of family members that served, I wanted to give back to my community and the veteran community.

 

"Service doesn't need to be military, it can be Peace Corps, Civil Service, community."

 

LaRose went on to earn his master's in history from Northeastern and worked as a historical educator in Boston. He is currently works in the Executive Office of Veterans Services. 

 

1st Lt. Tom LaRose, thank you for your service to our great country.

 

Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.