Capt. Timothy Thomas, a North Carolina National Guardsman

Capt. Timothy Thomas, a North Carolina National Guardsman with 1st Battalion, 130th Aviation Regiment, stands in front of his Apache Helicopter in Morrisville, North Carolina, August 2010, shortly after the helicopters were shipped back from Iraq after his deployment there. Thomas is the fourth generation of service members in his family and the third generation to choose Army Aviation as their career path. (Photo courtesy of the Thomas Family.)