Written by: LTC (Ret.) Robert Barrow
All, I am very proud to announce that Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Chevelle Thomas, Senior Army Instructor for Murphy High School, was honored this week on 6 April 2023 to receive the “The Ancient Order of Saint Gabriel Medal” for her distinguished service to the United States Army as a Public Affairs Officer, both in peacetime and while supporting combat operations overseas. The award was presented by Colonel Christian Patterson, Commander of the Mississippi Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Department of Defense Office. They were deployed to Afghanistan September 2008 through September 2009 in support of the Global War on Terrorism where they were responsible for telling the Army’s story to the United States and International communities abroad. It is important to note that the Ancient Order of Saint Gabriel is the more distinguished of the two levels of the Military Order of Saint Gabriel. The Ancient Order is reserved for those rare individuals whose careers embody outstanding achievements and accomplishments in the spirit, dignity, and sense of sacrifice and commitment epitomized by a career that so singularly distinguishes the individual as a contributor to Public Affairs that they have few peers. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas served 23 years of Army service and 17 of them in Public Affairs earning The Ancient Order of Saint Gabriel. She is also a former JROTC cadet who graduated from Blount High School here in Mobile County.
As the Director of Army Instruction for Mobile County, I am blessed to have such outstanding JROTC instructors such as Lieutenant Colonel Thomas…she is an example of the quality of JROTC teachers that we have at all of our programs across our district! My heartfelt congratulations on this well deserved award!
