An Army Special Forces senior noncommissioned officer who was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle is now facing a Special Court-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on charges including willful discharge of a firearm, violent offenses, and false official statements.
Master Sgt. Joseph T. Thach, assigned to Special Forces Advanced Skills Company, Group Support Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at JBLM, was arraigned Feb. 12, 2026. He has pleaded not guilty and elected trial by an enlisted panel.
According to the referred charge sheet, Thach is charged under Article 114 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice with willfully discharging a firearm — specifically a rifle — on or about Aug. 8, 2025, at or near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, under circumstances alleged to endanger human life.
He is further charged under Article 128b with two specifications of committing a violent offense. The charge sheet alleges that on the same date, Thach unlawfully pushed an individual in the chest and separately assaulted another individual with a loaded rifle by discharging the weapon in that person’s presence while making statements to the effect of, “You want another one,” or words to that effect.
In addition, the charge sheet includes three specifications under Article 107, alleging that Thach signed official military documents known as DA Form 1306 — Statements of Jump and Loading Manifest — that were false and known by him to be false at the time of signing. Those alleged false entries are dated Sept. 12, 2024; Nov. 13, 2024; and Feb. 6, 2025.
The alleged misconduct occurred on post at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. No local civilian law enforcement agencies are involved in the case, and jurisdiction has been retained solely by military authorities.
The accused is the same Master Sgt. Joseph “Joe” Thach who received public recognition in 2024 for rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle along Interstate 5 near Tacoma. Thach was later awarded the Soldier’s Medal for his actions in that incident.
The case has been referred to a Special Court-Martial by the Senior Army Commander at JBLM. If convicted at a Special Court-Martial, Thach faces a maximum punishment that may include confinement for up to one year per offense, reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, and a bad-conduct discharge, depending on the panel’s findings and sentencing determination.
The trial is currently scheduled for June at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As with all pending military justice matters, the charges represent allegations, and the accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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