Tacoma City Councilmember Robert Thoms has a dual role, serving both his city and country.
"My number one goal is to protect and provide safety to the citizens of Tacoma," said Thoms.
The Persian Gulf War veteran is also a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Military service runs in his family.
"Both of my grandfathers were in the Navy," said Thoms.
It was after his re-election that Thoms received word that he was being called to go to Afghanistan in early 2018. His third deployment meant appointing someone to sit in his place on the council while he was gone.
"To our knowledge, this is the first time a city councilman had ever deployed from here," said Thoms.
Thoms would have to say goodbye to his wife, Valerie, his son, William, and his daughters, Cali and Charlotte.
His tour of duty took him to Kabul where he worked in the Public Affairs Office for more than seven months before returning home.
"A week after I left, the General that I work for was attacked, and one of the provincial police chiefs was killed in that attack," Thoms explained.
A week after the attack, Major Brent Taylor, who also served as the Mayor of North Ogden, Utah, was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan.
"My heart goes out to his seven children, his wife, and his community that lost someone who was serving them so aptly," said Thoms.
As for Thoms’ deployment, the mission led to a moment 227 days in the making. He was able to surprise his son William during his baseball game. William found out on the field that dad was home.
"They had me throw out the first pitch to him," said Thoms. "I knew that he was into it if he hugged me in front of all of his buddies."
For Thoms, it's good to be back, and he's glad he was able to answer the call.
“That's what men and women in the military do. They answer the call to the question of what needs to be done and who is going to do it," said Thoms.
It's the kind of service he plans to keep doing at city hall.
