From a childhood in the suburbs of Chicago to a life serving his nation, a true American hero has blessed this country all his life, and he’s now fighting to save our nation’s future through Convention of States.
COS Tennessee District Captain Thomas Riordan had a wonderful experience in the Marines with great leaders who took him under their wings to help him grow. Lance Corporal Riordan was sent to Japan where he was assigned to the Control Tower at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni. Seasoned combat veterans taught him how to separate airplanes and lead Marines. Aviation Is unforgiving, they told him. They encouraged him to study and know flight rules, airplanes, weather, and mission well.
Years later he went on to flight school with the Navy in Pensacola and was selected to fly the KC130 tactical aerial refueling aircraft. While serving, he witnessed several fatal accidents as a controller and had several near misses as a pilot. He also lost a fellow instructor and student in his primary training squadron, all of which took a toll on him.
“This weighed on my heart, but I still wanted to fly. There is nothing as exhilarating as flying high-performance aircraft. You must be at the top of your game and 100% in tune with the airplane,” described Riordan. “Often, things go wrong. Navy flight training is the best in the world, but even that isn’t enough, so I leaned on Jesus to help me bring the airplane home.”
He flew worldwide in support of Marine Corps units. He also did a tour at the Marine Barracks in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as the Commanding Officer’s Tactical Air Control Party representative, the Assistant Operations Officer, and for several months as the Headquarters Company Commander, an infantry officer billet. His last tour of duty was with the Navy as Primary Fight Instructor at Pensacola and Whiting Field, Florida.
After 20 years in the Marines, he retired and briefly flew for a commuter airline. He was in an interview with UPS Airlines on 9/11. “The interview went well until I came out to the lobby and saw on the TV an airplane fly into the second tower. Immediately, all airlines stopped flying, and UPS stopped hiring.” He considered returning to the Marines but, with three kids under 4, he did not want to leave his wife to raise them alone.
Soul searching, he ended his flying career and became a financial advisor in Chicago. He worked for a national advisory firm and was very successful, winning awards for performance. “All I did was tell the truth and only sold people what they needed.” After a couple of good years, everyone knew the markets were overvalued. In the Wall Street Journal, he found a telling notice where the Feds had removed the uptick rule, an important market protection. He told his boss: “We need to put everyone in cash. The market will crash soon, and the government is trying to create it.” His boss said, “you are not paid to think. You are paid to sell.” He told him to have Goldman Sachs give a dinner seminar to his clients, who advised them to buy stocks. The market crashed within a few months of his call to his boss. Two years later, when Riordan heard that Goldman had put all their high-net-worth clients in cash at the same time they told Riordan’s clients to buy stocks, He left the industry. First, he tried to go independent, but his prior firm attacked his character and destroyed his reputation, and his clients left him. So he returned to school to get his MBA. He concentrated in marketing and finance. There he asked his professors how did the banks do it? The government had safety valves and rules implemented after the market crash of 1929. His professors said President Clinton deregulated the banking industry in 1999, removing all those protections. “Within 10 years of deregulation, our banks and markets collapsed the world’s economy putting millions out of work,” said Riordan.
He completed his MBA but still could not get employment. Now behind on his mortgage, Bank of America foreclosed on his home. “The banks that caused the crisis got bailed out by Obama and the people whose homes they took were blamed for the crisis. Later, he also learned that Clinton and Obama were awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to their foundations after they left the White House. Thousand died of stress-related illness, suicide, and substance abuse. More were homeless. He could not let go of these thoughts.
Riordan moved his family to Tennessee to live with his in-laws. He found a job as a government contractor in Afghanistan, and for two years, he flew combat reconnaissance/surveillance missions looking for the Taliban. Afterward, the University of Tennessee hired him to fly their executive plane. Almost a year after that, he started his own business, which he ran for 5 years until Covid policies kept him from finding anyone who wanted to work. There was plenty of work and plenty of people not working. The government paid people more to stay home. Tired of federal overreach and mismanagement, he decided to do something.
He and his wife successfully raised their children, his son is now in the Marines, and his daughters are enrolled in college. It was time for him to get involved.
“Our elected representatives are owned by corporations, super-wealthy elites, and foreign and domestic entities. The candidates tell us what we need to hear to get our vote, but then they legislate to the donor,” he said. “With its prominent grassroots activists making calls, writing letters, posting online, and visiting legislators, COS has the best chance to overcome the money influence.”
With his inspiring story and life-changing experiences, he offered two sources of transformation for the future – education and prayer.
“Education and prayer will turn the tide, God willing. A Convention of States is a start, but building an educated, prayerful active grassroots tradition is the solution to saving and preserving the republic called the United States of America for generations to come.”
We thank you, Major Thomas Riordan, for sharing your story and for all your work for American freedom, both in the military and through Convention of States.
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