Fallen Hero: Respiratory Therapist MSG Thomas Wallsmith Dies in Iraq

November 11, 2005

The AARC was saddened to learn of the death of MSG Thomas Wallsmith, who to our knowledge is the first respiratory therapist to lose his life while serving on active duty with Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Middle East.

MSG Wallsmith died on October 26 from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (Humvee) in Rustamiyah, Iraq. He was 38 years old.

At the time of his death he was serving as Senior Health Care NCO in the 3rd CSB, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, GA. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

“MSG Wallsmith was an excellent clinician with vast experience in critical care and pulmonary function testing,” says Maria L. Smedegaard, RRT, director of respiratory care services at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) in Hawaii, who worked with MSG Wallsmith in the past. “He mentored and taught many new graduates the essentials of respiratory care. He was a great and wonderful man who bravely served this country. He will be missed by many for a long time.”

Cecy Flores-Wiltrout, MBA, RPFT, lead technologist in the PFT lab at William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC) in El Paso, TX, also worked with MSG Wallsmith and says she’ll always remember him as one of our profession’s fallen heroes. “He was a really neat guy, great family man, and an extremely dedicated soldier with an infectious smile! He will never be forgotten by the many friends he left behind at William Beaumont Army Medical Center.”

MSG Wallsmith was a native of Wichita, KS. He graduated from the Army’s respiratory therapy program in 1992 and served as a respiratory therapist at Brooke Institute of Surgical Research in Texas addition to WBAMC, TAMC, and other Army medical posts.

In an article that appeared in the Joplin Globe, his mother, Patricia Vento, was quoted as saying her son was devoted to his mission in Iraq. "He believed if we were not there, they would be here,” she said. “He believed he was there for a purpose. He was devoted to the military, and he wanted to be there.”

Read a series of tributes left in MSG Wallsmith’s honor.