A former commanding general of Eighth Army as well as the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea has died after a battle with cancer.
Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal died over the weekend. He relinquished command of Eighth Army in January and officially retired Sept. 1.
Vandal, a 1982 West Point graduate and veteran of the Iraq war, served as commanding general of Eighth Army and chief of staff of Combined Forces Command in South Korea from February 2016 to January 2018.
He commanded the 2nd Infantry Division from June 2013 to April 2015.
His other assignments include director of operations, readiness and mobilization in the Army G-3/5/7 at the Pentagon; commandant of the Army Field Artillery School and Army Fires Center of Excellence; deputy commanding general for the 3rd Infantry Division; commander of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany; and commander of the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, III Corps Artillery.
Vandal’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Defense Superior Medal, the Legion of Merit with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
