Honoring Our Heroes

Major Timothy Lawrence Tormey: Age 47

Major Timothy Lawrence Tormey served 20 years in the United States Marine Corps. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Helicopter Pilot and then Tilt-rotor Pilot. He flew the CH-46E helicopter and the MV-22B Osprey and served four tours in Iraq. He received the following medals, decorations, badges, citations and campaign ribbons: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal-Strike Flight eight), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation-Navy, Navy Unit Commendation Medal (three), Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal (two), Iraq Campaign Medal with three stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (Iraq), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (four), Expert Rifle Qualification Badge and Sharpshooter Pistol Qualification Badge.

Major Tormey was born November 26, 1976 to his parents, Lawrence James and Edith Tormey, at Somers Point, N.J. He was reared there and graduated from Ocean City High School in 1995. While in high school, he played soccer and set a school record as its goalkeeper.

Major Tormey graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy on May 26, 1999, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and selected Marine aviation. He completed 28 weeks of training at The Basic School at Marine Base Quantico, VA, during which new officers receive classroom, field, and practical application training on weapons, tactics, leadership and protocol. In October 2001, he completed flight training with the T-34 Turbo Mentor and earned his wings at the Flight School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL, selecting the CH-46E Sea Knight. His follow-on assignment was to Marine Base Camp Pendleton, CA, for six months of training to learn to fly the CH-46E, a medium-lift tandem-rotor transport helicopter. This helicopter was flown by Marine pilots for decades. He then was sent for seven years to Marine Corps Air Station, New River, N.C. He served with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 162, the Golden Knights where he learned to be a good copilot. During his career, he deployed to Iraq four times. The first deployment in 2003 was flying assault support missions in support of the initial invasion of Iraq, and in 2005 the second deployment was with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit where he flew numerous combat missions. He was then assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266, a new designated Osprey squadron and received training to fly the MV-22B. In 2007, he was then deployed for the third time to Iraq to Al Asad Air Base for five months with VMM-266, the Fighting Griffins. His fourth and last deployment was with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit where he served as the Maintenance Officer for the Aviation Combat Element (ACE). Upon returning from deployment, he attended the Marine and Staff College at Marine Base Quantico, VA, and graduated with a Master's Degree in Military Studies in 2011. He was then sent to Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar CA, for four years where he assisted in standing up a new squadron, VMM-163 Evil Eyes. He then made his fourth and last deployment to Iraq on the USS Makin Island in the Persian Gulf. While flying the Osprey, the aircraft had a softward malfunction and crashed into the ocean. He was then sent to Maxwell Air Force Base, AL, where he served as an instructor in the Joint War Fighting Department at the Air Command and Staff College. Major Tormey retired from military service June 1, 2019.

Immediately after his military retirement, Major Tormey began working with the Officers' Christian Fellowship at Maxwell AFB. This organization is a nonprofit Christian parachurch organization of 17,000 U.S. military officers, family members and friends at military installations. Through this organization, he tries to assist military officers in living out their faith while serving in the military.

Major Tormey and his wife, Kimberly, have been married 24 years, and they have 15 children including 11 biological and four adopted from Liberia. All of the children are home-schooled. Kimberly serves as the local Director of Classical Conservations, an organization that connects families with a local community of like-minded families who not only learn together, but they do life together. It equips homeschool parents with the confidence to equip their children with a biblical worldview. The family enjoys camping and travel as well as hosting people at their home. They are members of Young Meadows Presbyterian Church (PCA) at Montgomery, AL, where he serves as an elder. He is a life-time member of the Townsend Detachment #920 of the Marine Corps League.

Major Tormey's conclusions about what his military service has meant to him are: "I realized that it was not just my job to fly aircraft. I partnered with the chaplain on the ship and began to lead Bible studies with 19 Marine officers in attendance. This he contends was his real mission in the Corps."

Major Tormey states, "I would like people to remember me as a man who has dedicated my life and priorities to earnestly seeking and communing with God. I want this lifelong zeal to permeate into thoughtful conversations, an exceedingly generous nature, and continual acts of service to others."