HM2 Thomas E. Scott

Lonsdale, MN

Home Award Program Recipient

Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Thomas Scott was born in Pleebo, Liberia to Roosevelt and Cynthia Scott, the second child of four siblings, and moved to Burnsville, Minn., in October of 2001. Upon graduating in 2006 from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy to see the world and to serve the country that gave him and his family peace and stability. Upon completion of all training, he was designated a U.S. Navy Corpsman, reporting to the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines (Devil Dog/Teufel Hunden), 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune in N.C., where he served as a Navy Corpsman, and earned the respected title of “Doc” from the Marines with whom he proudly served.

Doc Scott served two combat tours of duty with 3/6: Operation Iraqi Freedom from April 2008 through November 2008, and Operation Enduring Freedom from December 2009 to March 2010. While on his second deployment in Marjah, Afghanistan, Doc Scott was returning from a mounted patrol when his vehicle rolled over a pressure-plate Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The subsequent explosion resulted in the traumatic amputation of his right foot; later, doctors would also amputate his right leg below the knee. Doc Scott’s left leg and left foot were severely fractured from the explosion as well.

Immediately after the blast, Doc Scott attempted to stand and exit the vehicle; but the pain in his legs told him otherwise. He then applied tourniquets to his upper thighs, opting to crawl out of the vehicle, calling out “Corpsman Down!”, until help arrived. When the Marines from his convoy arrived to help him, he immediately instructed them to tighten his tourniquets, and continued ordering first aid directions to them until the MEDEVAC team arrived. Doc Scott was then airlifted to Bagram, and then immediately to Landstuhl, Germany, where he received advanced medical care.

Eventually Doc Scott was flown to Bethesda (Maryland) National Naval Medical Center where he stayed for about a month, and was later transferred to Minneapolis Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center to be closer to family and friends. While recovering at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, he married his high school sweetheart Brittany Rae Christianson. He was then transferred to Naval Medical Center in San Diego for Amputee Rehabilitation and for completion of service time in the Navy. Doc Scott was medically retired from the Navy in July 2012.

Thomas is currently finishing his degree in psychology at the University of Colorado. His future goals include hiking Pikes Peak, and earning a master’s degree or a doctorate degree in psychology, in order to work with veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and adjustment disorders. Thomas and Brittany now have two sons, Marcel and Andre.