By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

In honor of Veterans Day, SUNY Broome extends our deepest appreciation to the humble heroes who enrich the diversity of our campus community, including the College’s many alumni, faculty, staff, and student veterans. One such veteran is Thomas Gallagher, a current Criminal Justice: A.A.S. student and former Corporal in the U.S. Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment. Gallagher balances life as a husband, father of four, and Sergeant with Tioga County Sheriff’s Office, with one or two classes per semester, thanks to his G.I. benefits – proving that it’s never too late and you’re never too busy to earn a degree!

Gallagher’s SUNY Broome story starts in 2005. Naturally tech-savvy, he enrolled in the Computer Technology: A.A.S. program and did his best to navigate the ins and outs of higher education as a first-generation student. But as is the case with many young, first-time college students, Gallagher’s maturity, priorities, and timing conflicted. Burnt out and discouraged, he withdrew midway through his degree.​

“I quickly realized that what I was doing wasn’t working,” Gallagher reflected. “At 20, I wasn’t focused on doing well in college; I was focused on just surviving.”

In search of a source of structure and accountability, Gallagher enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2006. After completing Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was afforded the opportunity to attend Airborne School and the Ranger Indoctrination Program in preparation to join the highly specialized unit of direct-action soldiers: Army Rangers. Gallagher spent several intensive weeks refining his skills in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, static line and fast rope jumping, parachute operations, and land navigation.

Driven by the motto, “Rangers Lead the Way,” Gallagher successfully completed the selection and was welcomed into the 75th Ranger Regiment – 2nd Battalion, an elite, Tier 2, special operations force within the U.S. Army.

During the height of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), Gallagher completed three consecutive tours in Balad, Iraq; Baghdad, Iraq; and Paktika, Afghanistan. For four and a half years, he rotated between arduous pre-service training and high-intensity in-country deployments. As Rangers, Gallagher and his battalion were called upon to complete special operations missions, which often involved nighttime raids within the inner confines of enemy territory.

When not stationed in the Middle East, Gallagher was based in Fort Lewis, Washington. Between deployments, he trained with his unit and completed elite Ranger School stateside.

After back-to-back deployments, Gallagher opted to return to the Southern Tier to complete his service with the National Guard, honorably leaving the U.S. Army in 2010.

Corporal Thomas Gallagher: 75th Ranger Regiment – 2nd Battalion

“I didn’t see myself as a career soldier,” Gallagher explained. “I also didn’t want to fall behind in my civilian life, so I came back to the Southern Tier and took the civil service exam to become a police officer in New York State.”

Gallagher then completed the Elmira Police Academy and joined the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), spending his first week on the job responding to the historic September 2011 flood. Now a sergeant within the TCSO, his work includes leading department-wide training sessions, managing accreditation standards, and updating policies. Never hesitating to support his road patrol team, Gallagher can often be found in the community, piloting the department’s drone unit as an FAA-certified Flight Operator, leading demonstrations as a NYS-certified Firearms Instructor, or simply maintaining public safety.

With retirement off in the not-too-distant future, Gallagher couldn’t help but focus on what’s next.

“I realized that my G.I. Bill benefits were about to expire and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to go back to school,” Gallagher explained. “Working full-time with a family meant that I would need to take classes on a part-time schedule, but the ‘use it or lose it’ incentive made me want to give it a shot, almost 20 years after my first attempt at going to college.”

Capitalizing on his two-decade military and law enforcement career, Gallagher enrolled in SUNY Broome’s Criminal Justice: A.A.S. program. With the encouragement of Chairperson for Criminal Justice & Emergency Services, Leigh Martindale, and Senior Staff Associate for Student Success, Erin Marulli, Gallagher was able to amass several credits based on his professional experiences via SUNY Broome’s Credit for Prior Learning | SUNY Broome program. 

“Earning credit for previous military and professional experiences turned out to be really motivating for me,” Gallagher shared. “It was nice to know that I don’t have that far to go to finish my degree.”

For Gallagher, time and maturity breed success. The once admittedly wayward student is now maintaining a 4.0 every semester. But he’s not alone in his academic pursuits. These days, homework in the Gallagher household is a family affair. With his wife Kerry (SUNY Broome’s Director of Marketing & Communications) in graduate school, and children Jacob, Kennedy, Logan, and Scarlett ranging from 11th grade to Pre-K, all of the Gallaghers are knee-deep in assignments, proudly supporting one another through each academic milestone. 

Tommy’s Advice for Returning Students: “Start by taking one class in something that interests you. Starting slowly, in a subject that you enjoy, will make you feel much more comfortable in the classroom.”

Learn more about SUNY Broome’s Veterans & Military Affairs Office!

Throughout his career with the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office, Gallagher has received several unit citations and awards, including the 2020 Southern Tier Real Heroes Law Enforcement Award, 2024 Gallantry Star, and the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office Life Saving Award. Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers

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