Army Spc. Thomas was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. Thomas was on patrol in Kirkuk when a booby-trapped trashcan exploded striking him with shrapnel. Kyle was a 1998 graduate of Topeka West High School where he played football, wrestled and was a member of the Topeka Fencing Club. During his junior year, a friend asked him to help out with a local production of "Romeo and Juliet" and from that time on Kyle chose dance over football. He earned a full scholarship to the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet in 1997-1998 and also danced in the Boca Ballet Theatre in Florida, the Dayton Ballet Company in Ohio and the Evansville Dance Theatre in Indiana. He joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks because he believed God needed a Christian fighting for him. While performing with the Metropolitan Ballet of Topeka, Kyle married fellow dancer Cari Dyke in July 2002 while he was on a 20-day leave before shipping out to Italy. Kyle was a well-liked, multi-talented person who enjoyed horseback riding, auto mechanics, theater set design, woodworking and football. He received several honors and awards from the Army: Army service ribbon, National defense service medal, Parachutist badge, Basic marksmanship qualification badge, Combat infantry badge, Hand grenade qualification badge, Bronze star (posthumously), and Purple heart (posthumously).
Army Spc. Thomas was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. Thomas was on patrol in Kirkuk when a booby-trapped trashcan exploded striking him with shrapnel. Kyle was a 1998 graduate of Topeka West High School where he played football, wrestled and was a member of the Topeka Fencing Club. During his junior year, a friend asked him to help out with a local production of "Romeo and Juliet" and from that time on Kyle chose dance over football. He earned a full scholarship to the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet in 1997-1998 and also danced in the Boca Ballet Theatre in Florida, the Dayton Ballet Company in Ohio and the Evansville Dance Theatre in Indiana. He joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks because he believed God needed a Christian fighting for him. While performing with the Metropolitan Ballet of Topeka, Kyle married fellow dancer Cari Dyke in July 2002 while he was on a 20-day leave before shipping out to Italy. Kyle was a well-liked, multi-talented person who enjoyed horseback riding, auto mechanics, theater set design, woodworking and football. He received several honors and awards from the Army: Army service ribbon, National defense service medal, Parachutist badge, Basic marksmanship qualification badge, Combat infantry badge, Hand grenade qualification badge, Bronze star (posthumously), and Purple heart (posthumously).
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