As a student at South Putnam High School, Patrick Thibodeau began thinking seriously about his future when an idea came to him.
Unsure about the opportunity to go to college, the oldest of five sons and a shaky economy at the time, Thibodeau sent a card out of a magazine to the United States Marine Corp inquiring about joining.
"They sent me back a nice letter that essentially said call us when you graduate," Thibodeau told The Putnam County Post.
Thibodeau said he had a classmate whose father was a Colonel in the Indiana National Guard who told him the guard would let you join as a junior in high school, and one could attend Basic Training the summer between your junior and senior year and then complete Advance Individual Training the summer after graduation.
"I thought it would be good to get started early to get some rank and experience before I graduate and then look at options to go into the Army or the Marine Corp," Thibodeau said.
He would enlist as a Private E1 in the Indiana National Guard Battery A/2-150 FA in Greencastle on May 15, 1985, and it would begin a military career that would span 38 years, allow him become a commissioned officer, serve at every officer rank, including brigadier general, travel the world and command and lead at every echelon; Tactical, Operation and the Strategic level.
"Not only to be the assistant Adjutant General of the State of Indiana but to be dual hatted as the Deputy Commander of Southern European Taskforce Africa (SETAF-AF). It is unreal that a National Guard Officer from rural Indiana would have the opportunity to be a deputy commander of an active duty two star command with the responsibility of working with the land component commanders of 54 African nations," Thibodeau admitted.
In 2008, Thibodeau deployed with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and was part of the largest single unit deployment from the Indiana National Guard since World War II, as he headed to Iraq.
"What I realized during that deployment is that the civilian acquired skills that citizen Soldiers bring to the table directly impact the ability of the Army to be self-reliant. The army has pretty good capability for kinetic and non-kinetic operations but when all you have is hammers, everything looks like a nail, you end up trying to fit square pegs into round holes," he said.
He recalled that the soldiers didn't always work the way the unit was organized for combat.
"Instead we task organized based on civilian acquired skills. You may have a Lt. Colonel and an E4 working side by side on infrastructure like electricity or plumbing; not the mission set of a IBCT. In 2008, DOD was working to transition the “Sons of Iraq’, Military aged males from standing checkpoint to working civilian jobs but the economy was slow. We had the opportunity to work with the State Department and USIAD to work economic development, something that our citizen Soldiers excelled at, a capability that didn’t not reside in the active components. What I learned is that everyone brings something to the table and together we can do more and do it faster," Thibodeau said.
His military service is drawing to a close as Thibodeau is retiring from the Indiana National Guard. However, he continues his life of service, serving on the Greencastle Fire Department and also serving as the Greencastle City Building Commissioner/Inspector.
He says service is a huge part of his life.
"As a citizen soldier, I have had the opportunity to serve my community, the state of Indiana, several other states and our Country for essentially all of my adult life. Service is extremely rewording, people always thank you for your service which is nice but the biggest sacrifice is from your family that cover your responsibilities while you’re wearing the uniform. It is extremely difficult to serve without support from your family, friends and your civilian employer. I have been very fortunate to have support from all three. The City of Greencastle/GFD has been a phenomenal employer, I can’t say enough good things about them. I wish all or citizen Soldiers had employers with the same level of commitment," Thibodeau said.
He admits his service in the military helped prepare him for his careers within the city.
"Being successful in the military requires a program of continuous learning through experience, civilian education and military education, it’s a continuum of self-development. When you decide to stop leaning and being relevant the system is designed so the Soldier behind you gets to pass you. So to be successful you need discipline, focus, to be technically and tactically proficient and to be respected as a leader. My position as a Building Commissioner is simply to enforce the standards for construction that are published by both the City of Greencastle and the state of Indiana; I have to be the technical expert, the trainer and the person that ensures everyone meets the standards across the board. Frankly, I think anyone that is a successful leader in the military is perfectly suited to for my job, they really complement each other," he said.
And, as the sun sets on his military service, Thibodeau said he has lived a lifetime of adventure, learning and self development.
"I have done thing I couldn’t have ever imagined. I have had the opportunity to work for some of the most brilliant leaders in the world and I have had the opportunity to lead some of Americas finest soldiers and airmen. I can’t think of anything that is so demanding at times yet so fulfilling. I have had some long days but it never really seemed like work to me. I was always excited to wake up and start my new adventure. I will miss serving in the Indiana Army National Guard but I have a lot of friends that I share a bond of service with. Now that my social calendar has opened up, I plan to focus on spending time family and friends. There is an old saying that a leopard doesn’t change his spots; I’m sure I will find something service oriented to leverage what I have learned over the years. I will fondly remember being a Soldier, a leader and a defender of freedom," Thibodeau said.
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