Lieutenant Colonel Thomas “Hans” Gruber is a native of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. He is a 2009 graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a Rifleman with 1st Battalion, 25th Marines. Following commissioning in June 2009, 2ndLt Gruber reported to the Basic School in Quantico, VA for initial officer training and upon completion, reported to Pensacola, FL for initial flight training in January 2011. Designated a Naval Aviator in August 2012, he reported to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron (VMMT) 204 for Fleet Replacement Training in the MV-22B and was designated a Tiltrotor Second Pilot in January 2013.
1stLt Gruber was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (VMM-162) and deployed with SPMAGT-CR-AF from August 2013 to July 2014. Then Captain Gruber, he was designated a MV-22B Tiltrotor Aircraft Commander in September 2014. In October 2015, he deployed with the 26th MEU. While at VMM-162, he served in the following billets: Schedules Officer, Current Operations Officer, Communications Officer, and Logistics Officer. Designations earned included: Division Lead in October 2015 and Night Systems Instructor in August 2016.
In July of 2017, Capt Gruber transferred to VMMT-204 at MCAS New River, NC as a Fleet Replacement Squadron Instructor Pilot (FRS-IP). There he graduated from the Aviation Safety Officer Course, and assumed the responsibilities of Adjutant, Aviation Safety Officer and Flightline Officer in Charge. Promoted to Major in August of 2019, Major Gruber then moved to Marine Aircraft Group 26 (MAG-26) where he assumed the role of Director of Safety, Standardization, and NATOPS.
In January of 2021, Major Gruber joined VMM-365 where he served as the Director of Safety, Standardization, and NATOPS until June of 2021. He then took over as the Operations Officer of VMM-365 and served in that billet while deployed in support of the North and West Africa Response Force Aviation Combat Element (NARF-ACE) 22.1. Upon return from the deployment in May 2022 Major Gruber assumed duties as the Executive Officer of VMM-365 where he served until July 2023. In July 2023 Major Gruber moved to MAG-26 where he served as the Group Operations Officer until September 2024 when he volunteered to deploy with VMM-266 to Djibouti, Africa as their Executive Officer.
Major Gruber’s personal awards and decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Major Gruber has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.