Lieutenant Colonel Alum Points to Opportunities at Thomas College
Post Published On:Lieutenant Colonel Kevin D. Ingram is the Senior Army Instructor for the Thomas County Central High School Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program.
He has been a part of the military for nearly 30 years. He always wanted to join the Army ROTC, and when the opportunity came, he took advantage of it.
Ingram became the first and only graduate from Thomas College, now Thomas University, to receive a Cadet Scholarship. Through a partnership with Florida State University in the early 1990s, Thomas College began offering a cross-enrollment ROTC program. He was able to earn his bachelor’s degree from Thomas College and be commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Air Defense Artillery from Florida State University in 1996.
With the foundation of a Thomas College education, Ingram was able to build a military career by advancing in different leadership roles.
He held a variety of positions including being named Launcher Platoon Leader, Fire Control Platoon Leader, Battery Executive Officer, Observer/Controller/Trainer, Instructor and Combined Arms Division Chief, Operations Officer, Air Defense Coordinator, Air and Missile Defense Chief, and Battalion Executive Officer, among other roles.
He was stationed at different military bases throughout the country and was also deployed to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, carrying out different operations.
Ingram said Thomas College was instrumental in providing him with lifelong mentorship.
“Colonel Floyd was one of my professors for multiple classes at Thomas College,” he said. “He was also one of my academic advisors and as a retired colonel, he was also my mentor, and almost to this day that relationship has stayed intact.”
Ingram said Thomas College also allowed him to lead.
“I was the Student Government Association President my senior year,” he said. “I worked with the Thomas College President and advisors and planned events and activities. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of Thomas College gears, so we partnered with one of the screen-printing companies in the area to produce shirts, sweatshirts, etc. We sold them in the old Hawk’s Nest.
“1996 was one of the most expansive years at Thomas College as far as the number of bands, vendors, and activities on campus that we had up to that point. I had the opportunity to go through the planning process and coordinate with not just vendors and other stakeholders, but working with contracts for the bands gave me the opportunity to apply some of the stuff I learned in ROTC in the real world environment. I think those three things were important and it really made for a good experience at Thomas College.”
