US Army

Major Mark Thompson
Age: 36
Currently Serving: Army Support Activity, Fort Dix, NJ

Major Thompson completed his ROTC requirements at Vanderbilt University while attending Tennessee State University. He enrolled in the ROTC program as a means to pay for college.
Major Thompson learned about the ROTC Program through a family friend who was an ROTC Instructor at Southeast Missouri State University in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, MO, where his father was also a college professor and his mother an administrator.
The Army’s Officer Training System gives each leader the necessary skill sets for success providing a full-spectrum of education opportunities which surpasses any system offered in the civilian workforce. Officers have the opportunity to attain their Master’s Degree in conjunction with many of the courses offered. The Officer Training System provided Major Thompson with a solid educational foundation.
He explains that an officer for The U.S. Army is the equivalent to an executive level equivalent in the civilian job market. The goal of both an officer and an executive is to inspire and influence people to accomplish organizational goals
Major Thompson is a Military Police Officer serving for 14 years in various duty locations from his first assignment in Hawaii to now serving New Jersey. He is a Commander of an organization supporting those responsible for the training of personnel going to and returning from deployment.
Major Thompson states that “leading soldiers is an indescribable feeling to know that a Soldier depends on you to make the right decision that may impact their life and the lives of their families. When you gain the strength to lead Soldiers, you gain the strength to lead in life itself.”
The U.S. Army has given Major Thompson the opportunity to see the world and experience many diverse individuals and cultures while defending freedom. Something he doesn’t believe he would have been afforded outside of the Army.