Wing Commander
COLONEL THOMAS J. MARTIN, JR.
Colonel Thomas J. Martin, Jr., is the Missouri Wing Commander of the Civil Air Patrol, a non-profit, benevolent organization devoted to humanitarian activities, and by law the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
Colonel Martin has served as the Director of Operations for Missouri Wing before being selected as the Missouri Wing Commander and is currently responsible for CAP operations in the state of Missouri. He oversees more than 1,000 members in almost 30 units across the state.
Colonel Martin was born on August 24, 1950, in southeast Missouri. He graduated from the College of the Ozarks with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and Science; and also holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration and an Education Specialist Degree in Public Services Administration, both from Central Missouri State University (now the University of Central Missouri).
Colonel Martin currently works as the emergency management director for Stone County, Missouri, while also maintaining an insurance agency. He has been a law enforcement officer for more than forty years, initially with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, and more recently as deputy of the Stone County Sheriff’s Office. He has also served as Fire Chief of a 150-member volunteer fire district.
Colonel Martin first joined the CAP in 2010 serving as the Deputy Commander for Cadets, the Deputy Commander for Seniors, and then as the Commander of the Table Rock Lake Composite Squadron. He later served successfully in several Missouri Wing staff positions, including Deputy Group V Commander, Director of Emergency Services Training, and Director of Emergency Services before being appointed Missouri Wing Director of Operations. Colonel Martin is a qualified Incident Commander and Ground Team Leader.
Colonel Martin’s Civil Air Patrol awards include the USAF Organizational Excellence Award, the North Central Region Ed Lewis Incident Staff Member of the Year Award, five Commander’s Commendations, six Unit Citations, and the General Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement Award. Colonel Martin has completed Level V of the Senior Member Professional Development Program, being awarded the Gill Robb Wilson Award. He was named the Missouri Wing Senior Member of the Year for 2012.
Colonel Martin is married to Nancy, his wife of 46 years who is an elementary school teacher. They have one son, Ryan, a paramedic, and one daughter, Travena, an educator; and five grandchildren: Nate, 11, Anna, 7, Kylie, 6, and Ezra and Isaiah, both 5.
