Drafted in 1966 and completing flight school in 1969, Tom Janis deployed to Vietnam where he distinguished himself as an OH-6 pilot, flying hundreds of missions and earning multiple deocrations.

Returning from Vietnam he became an Instructor Pilot, which truly capitalized on his ability and passion to teach and mentor. Tom spent the rest of his career as an instructor pilot, influencing thousands through his selfless leadership, instruction, and mentorship - a role mdoel to everyone he served with, regardless of status or rank.

Spending the final ten years of his career assigned to a Special Mission Unit, CW5 Janis flew multiple platforms, deploying on numerous classified missions. Selected to lead the first practical application of recently invented classified Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, he developed the techniques, tactics and procedures to employ UAVs on classified national secuity missions which are still used today.

Retiring from the Army in 1998 with over 32 years of service and 9,300 flight hours, he began flying sensitive State Department missions. On February 13, 2003, over the mountain jungles of Colombia, his aircraft suffered an engine failure. He miraculously found a small clearing and "dead-sticked" the airplane to a crash landing that everyone on board survived. After safely exiting the aircraft and while trying to protect his injured Colombian Crew Chief, Janis was murdered by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels. The remaining three Americans were instantly captured and spent the next five years in captivity. 

At the time of his death, CW5 Janis amassed more than 17 separate aircraft type ratings and over 11,000 flight hours. More importantly he had taught and instructred hundreds of aviators the finer points of aviation skills, all while being an exceptionally caring and compassionate leader, who always set an unequivocally positive example for all with whom he served.