AUTHOR'S   BIO



Thomas D. Dinackus graduated cum laude from Dickinson College in 1979 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. He earned a commission as a U.S. Army second lieutenant, Armor branch, via the ROTC program. He graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School with a juris doctorate degree in 1986.

In between college and law school Tom served as an Armor officer in the U.S. Army, from 1979 to 1983. After graduating from the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky, he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas. He served, in order, as an armored cavalry platoon leader, squadron S-3 Air, and armored cavalry troop executive officer.

While serving as the platoon leader of 2nd Platoon of Troop E he was also the tank commander of tank E-26, an M60A1 Main Battle Tank. He was the tank commander of E-26 through three Cavalry Gunneries, May 1980, November 1980, and August-September 1981. He qualified his tank all three gunneries and was awarded patches for the May 1980 gunnery (Figure 1) and November 1980 gunnery (Figure 2).

Figure 1

May 1980 2nd Sqdn, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regt Qualified TCQC patch. U.S. made, all embroidered with a merrowed edge. ASMIC #3D21. There were no tabs worn with this patch. The design of this and many other qualification patches worn in the 3rd ACR is unusual with regard to the execution of the Armor branch insignia, where the tank is much smaller than it should be. The design is also unusual in that it includes Armor branch insignia, rather than the Cavalry's crossed sabers that were typically worn by Cavalry officers in the 3rd ACR and used on unit signs, etc.

Figure 2

November 1980 2/3 ACR TCQC patch (ASMIC #3D23) with "19 Qualified 80" tab (not in ASMIC catalog). U.S. made, all embroidered with a merrowed edge.

No patches were awarded for the August-September 1981 sustainment gunnery.

Tom began collecting U.S. Army unit insignia, specializing in Armor and Cavalry units, when he was 14. He started collecting armor qualification patches a few years later, after reading an article on TCQC patches in THE TRADING POST, the quarterly journal of the American Society of Military Insignia Collectors ("ASMIC"). He was one of three ASMIC members who compiled ASMIC's catalog of Army qualification patches, which was published in THE TRADING POST in 1990-92, with updates published in 1996. He subsequently authored a detailed two-part article on TCQC patches that appeared in THE TRADING POST in 2009. He also authored an article on TCQC patches that appeared in ARMOR, the professional journal of the Army's Armor Branch, in 2021.

Tom is also the author of Order of Battle: Allied Ground Forces of Operation Desert Storm (Central Point, Oregon: Hellgate Press, 2000), as well as numerous articles in THE TRADING POST and other hobby periodicals.

Since graduating from law school, Tom has worked as a government contracts litigator, primarily for the U.S. Government. He hopes to retire some day in the not-too-distant future.