Give for good of local veteran

We never cease to be amazed by our community’s willingness to pitch in and help.

Such is the case of Mike Thomas, a local Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thomas recently learned he is in a fight for his life with colon cancer, and because he is no longer on active duty, he will not be compensated for living expenses while he undergoes treatment.

And, as anyone who has undergone treatment for cancer knows, you can’t work while you’re undergoing chemotherapy.

His long-time Army buddy, Sgt. Josh Brown, has set up a gofundme account to assist the Thomas family with living expenses during this difficult time. This local family has two young sons. Gofundme is a secure online donation portal.

That account to benefit the Thomas family can be accessed at: http://www.gofundme.com/rgxhj6e.

The account grew on Monday after The News-Star’s story about the Thomas family from about $700 to donations of $2,347 Monday evening. But we think it can grow more, because that’s the kind of people we are.

We believe this community really will rise to the occasion of helping one family through a tough patch in life.

And for those of you who “don’t do the internet,” please contact Scott Rogers at The News-Star and he will let you know how you can donate. If you “don’t do the internet,” but are willing to make a credit card contribution, call either Scott or Kathy Spurlock at The News-Star and we will walk you through the donation process.

We thank the Thomas family for the sacrifices they have made in service to our country. And we appreciate Sgt. Brown for letting us know of the need.

The editorials in this column represent the opinions of The News-Star’s editorial board, composed of General Manager and Executive Editor Kathy Spurlock, Business and Politics Reporter Greg Hilburn and Education Reporter Barbara Leader.