Tom Lamont had a multifaceted career in a law, government administration, politics and the Illinois National Guard from the 1970s through the mid 2000s. In the 1990s he served on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. In 2009 he became the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, taking on wide-ranging duties where he dealt with some of the most momentous and controversial issues of the President Obama administration, all while the nation fought two wars. Issues he dealt with included repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' the integration of women into combat positions, and recruiting and retention challenges, complicated by the era's serious budget constraints.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Recruit Soldier Retain Family
Abstract
Interview Sesion 01 (Audio)
Early life, college during late 1960s, basic training and law school
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Career in law, government administration and military service
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
U. of Illinois Board of Trustees, IL politics and IL Army National Guard
Interview Session 04 (Audio)
Asst. Secretary of the Army for Manpower & Reserve Affairs experiences
Interview Session 05 (Audio)
Asst. Secretary of the Army experiences & post Pentagon activities
Transcript
Photos
Caption
Major Tom Lamont wears BDUs and sports camouflage paint during his two-week annual training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin in 1995.
Where:
Fort McCoy, Wisconsin
When:
1995
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont looks into the sights of an M47 Dragon anti-tank missile during the 1995 annual training at Fort McCoy.
Where:
Fort McCoy, Wisconsin
When:
1995
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Colonel Tom Lamont in field uniform, circa 2006. The photo was taken in his back yard in Springfield.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 2006
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont with former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates during the latter’s tenure at the Pentagon. Gates served as SecDef from 2006 to 2011.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Circa 2006 to 2011
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tom Lamont shares a plane ride with his fellow National Guard Legal Officer, William Enyart, in 2008. Enyart later became the state’s Adjutant General.
Where:
Unknown
When:
2008
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont, fourth from the right, was one of many Pentagon staffers who attended a Rose Garden ceremony in 2009 where President Obama was also present. Army Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli stands next to Lamont.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
2009
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tom Lamont’s official Department of Defense photo, circa 2009.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Circa 2009
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tom Lamont’s official swearing in ceremony as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in June 2009. The ceremony was in the Pentagon on June 26, 2009, with Sec. of the Army Peter Garen officiating.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
June 2009
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Assistant Secretary Tom Lamont is pictured with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who served in that role from July 2011 to February 2013.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Circa July 2011 to February 2013
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Lamont only rarely visited the White House during his tenure at the Pentagon. He was attending a business meeting on how to achieve efficiencies in government with several other agency representatives in 2011.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
2011
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tom Lamont is pictured with General Paik Sun-yup (center), South Korea’s first four star general, during Lamont’s visit to that country in 2011.
Where:
South Korea
When:
2011
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Lamont visited the De-Militarized Zone at Panmunjom between North and South Korea in 2011. Note the security guard with only half his body exposed. Fifty-eight years after the end of hostilities, it remains the most heavily guarded border in the world.
Where:
Panmunjom between North and South Korea
When:
2011
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont helped award a battle streamer to the 1st Special Forces Command at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina in 2011.
Where:
Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
When:
2011
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
John Newman (center without hat) and Tom Lamont (to Newman’s right) with their personal security detail during a visit to Kandahar, Afghanistan in April 2011. Newman served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Training and Operations.
Where:
Kandahar, Afghanistan
When:
April 2011
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont visited South Korea in 2011 with the head of U.S. Army Forces/Korea and a South Korean admiral, observing a ship that had allegedly been torpedoed by the North Koreans in 2010.
Where:
South Korea
When:
2011
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont got to experience the sensation of sky diving while visiting the Golden Knights at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, circa 2012.
Where:
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
When:
Circa 2012
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Assistant Secretary Lamont was greeted by the 101st Air Assault Division commander, Major General McConville during a visit to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, circa 2012.
Where:
Ft. Campbell, Kentucky
When:
Circa 2012
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont shares high fives with one of the Golden Knights during his visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, circa 2012.
Where:
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
When:
Circa 2012
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tom Lamont met with former Secretary of the Army John McHugh and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the 2012 Army-Navy game in Philadelphia.
Where:
Philadelphia
When:
2012
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Assistant Secretary of the Army Lamont signs in at a desk used by General George S. Patton during a visit to Grafenwohr, Germany in 2012.
Where:
Grafenwohr, Germany
When:
2012
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tom Lamont pictured with Major General Jason Evans, an officer with whom he worked closely during his tenure in the Pentagon. Lamont is proud that he was able to help Evans get his star.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tom and Bridget Lamont attended President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in Washington, D.C. in January 2013.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
January 2013
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Lamont attended a ‘Future of the Army’ meeting in Stuttgart Germany in 2014.
Where:
Stuttgart Germany
When:
2014
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain