Thomas L Solhjem graduated from Oak Grove Lutheran School in 1974. While a student, Tom participated in Wrestling and Football. After graduation, he went on active duty, becoming one of the first to join the all-volunteer Army after the draft ended in the final days of the Vietnam War. After serving two years in the 82nd Combat Engineer Battalion he transferred to the Army Reserve. While in the Reserve, he received a Bachelor of Arts from North Central University and a Masters of Divinity from Bethel Theological Seminary. In 1988, he was commissioned as a chaplain in the U.S. Army and entered active duty. He has served as a battalion level chaplain and deployed during Operations Desert Shield/Storm. After September 11, 2001 he deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operations Iraqi Freedom with multiple deployments to both operations. He became the U.S. Army Special Forces Command Chaplain in 2005 and in May of 2015, was selected for promotion to brigadier general and became the 25th deputy chief of Chaplains. Chaplain Solhjen has amassed many awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal with four oak leaf clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters. Chaplain Solhjem married his childhood sweetheart, Jill, in 1977. He credits her for being a partner in ministry and is every bit as called and committed as he. Together they have four children Ben, Thad, and Sam who all followed their father’s footstems into the military, and a daughter Beth.