Guest speaker Lt. Col. Howlett is mathematician, Marine

Lt. Col Thomas Howlett has been confirmed as the guest speaker for UW-Green Bay’s fourth annual Veterans Appreciation Reception at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in the Phoenix Room B of the University Union. The event is free and open to the public. More details on the program can be found here.

A mathematics major in college, Howlett enlisted in the Marine Corps in the early 1960s and earned the rank of captain within two years of graduation. He spent five years on active duty, trained as a jet pilot, served a tour in Vietnam and was eventually assigned a classified position with a tactical-data research and development unit.

Back in the United States following active duty, he joined Marine Wing Facilities Squadron 4 in Green Bay and was promoted to major three years later. He created an innovative technical training program for the squadron in cooperation with Northeast Wisconsin Technical Institute, and the Marine Corps soon encouraged other Reserve units to apply the Green Bay model. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1979, and appointed officer-in-charge and, later, commanding officer of the Mobilization Training Unit in Milwaukee.

In addition to his participation in select Reserve units, Lt. Col. Howlett was called to active duty for numerous special assignments including service at Marine Corps headquarters writing a report to the U.S. Congress on the “Total Force Concept.” He also spent four summers as the senior mathematics instructor teaching calculus to prospective second lieutenants in the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program.

Although now retired, Lt. Col. Howlett remains active in Marine Corps Reserve matters. He currently serves on the National Board of Directors of the Marine Corps Reserve Association.

His civilian career was in the field of information technology. He taught programming languages at St. Norbert College for ten years and has also taught IT courses Fox Valley Technical College. He has four children: son William is a Marine Corps major and helicopter instructor; son Michael is a photographer; daughter Kelly is employed as an artist; and stepson Aleksandr is a senior in high school and enrolled in the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program.