Thomas was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
He grew up in Detroit and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1938.
Thomas then worked as a molder for the Ford Motor Company (Ford River Rogue factory) with his father, and was a student at Wayne State University studying mechanical engineering.

He was drafted, and entered into the U.S. Army on January 20, 1942.
He went to basic training at Camp Wolters in Texas, and afterwards was assigned to the infantry.
Next, he was transferred to the Officer Candidate School at Camp Carson in Colorado where black soldiers were sent to be officers in the 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on March 11, 1943, and was assigned to be the commander of Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
On August 27, 1944, he deployed with the 614th to England, arriving on September 7.
On October 8, the 614th was on Utah Beach in Normandy, France.
The 614th led by Lieutenant Colonel John P. Blackshear, then would join General Patton's Third Army in Metz, France.
The 614th saw its first combat on November 28.
On December 5, the 614th was attached to  411th Infantry Regiment, and on December 6, the 614th was attached to the 103rd Infantry Division..
On December 14, 1944, 1st Lt.
Thomas volunteered to lead 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion in a task force named "Task Force Blackshear" to storm and capture the village of Climbach, a strategically important town which was five miles from the German border.
The task force spearheaded by Thomas' M20 scout car (modified M8),  consisted of a platoon of Sherman tanks from the 47th Armored Battalion, 14th Armored Division, a platoon of F Company (riding on tanks), 411th Infantry, 103rd Infantry Division, 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, rest of F Company, 411th Infantry, and a heavy weapons platoon.
Approaching Climbach was uphill, Thomas' armored scout car was knocked out by enemy fire from the German 21st Panzer Division, and he was wounded.

Thomas helped his crew out of the vehicle, but as he left the car's protection, he was again wounded in the chest, legs and arms.
Despite his wounds, Thomas directed the dispersal and emplacement of the anti-tank guns, which then returned fire and covered the attempt by the rest of the task force to outflank the defenders.
He briefed the 3rd Platoon leader of C Company, a first lieutenant, on the general situation, and only when he was sure the situation was under control did he allow himself to be evacuated.
3rd Platoon, C Company continued to fight for four hours, losing two of its four guns and over half its men as casualties (3 dead, 17 wounded).

The "valorous conduct" of the platoon, "in the face of overwhelming odds enabled the task force  to capture its objective", the village of Climbach, and forced the defenders to withdraw to the Siegfried Line.
3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation, the first black combat unit, and the first unit attached to the 103rd Division to be so honored.
Its soldiers received four Silver Stars and nine Bronze Stars.
Captain Thomas received the Distinguished Service Cross on February 20, 1945, and returned home a hero, though he played down his role – "I know I was sent out to locate and draw the enemy fire, but I didn't mean to draw that much."
Thomas remained in the Army, and retired with the rank of major on August 10, 1947.

Thomas married in 1949, and his wife and he had two children.
He went to work as a missile technician at Selfridge Air Force Base and later as a computer programmer for the Internal Revenue Service.
He died of cancer on February 15, 1980.
He was buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan.

Medal of Honor
In the early 1990s, it was determined that Black soldiers had been denied consideration for the Medal of Honor (MOH) in World War II because of their race.
In 1993, the U.S. Army had contracted Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, to research and determine if there was racial dis
Thomas was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up in Detroit and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1938. Thomas then worked as a molder for the Ford Motor Company (Ford River Rogue factory) with his father, and was a student at Wayne State University studying mechanical engineering. 
He was drafted, and entered into the U.S. Army on January 20, 1942. He went to basic training at Camp Wolters in Texas, and afterwards was assigned to the infantry. Next, he was transferred to the Officer Candidate School at Camp Carson in Colorado where black soldiers were sent to be officers in the 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on March 11, 1943, and was assigned to be the commander of Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. On August 27, 1944, he deployed with the 614th to England, arriving on September 7. On October 8, the 614th was on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. The 614th led by Lieutenant Colonel John P. Blackshear, then would join General Patton's Third Army in Metz, France. The 614th saw its first combat on November 28. On December 5, the 614th was attached to  411th Infantry Regiment, and on December 6, the 614th was attached to the 103rd Infantry Division..
On December 14, 1944, 1st Lt. Thomas volunteered to lead 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion in a task force named "Task Force Blackshear" to storm and capture the village of Climbach, a strategically important town which was five miles from the German border. The task force spearheaded by Thomas' M20 scout car (modified M8),  consisted of a platoon of Sherman tanks from the 47th Armored Battalion, 14th Armored Division, a platoon of F Company (riding on tanks), 411th Infantry, 103rd Infantry Division, 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, rest of F Company, 411th Infantry, and a heavy weapons platoon. Approaching Climbach was uphill, Thomas' armored scout car was knocked out by enemy fire from the German 21st Panzer Division, and he was wounded.
Thomas helped his crew out of the vehicle, but as he left the car's protection, he was again wounded in the chest, legs and arms. Despite his wounds, Thomas directed the dispersal and emplacement of the anti-tank guns, which then returned fire and covered the attempt by the rest of the task force to outflank the defenders. He briefed the 3rd Platoon leader of C Company, a first lieutenant, on the general situation, and only when he was sure the situation was under control did he allow himself to be evacuated. 3rd Platoon, C Company continued to fight for four hours, losing two of its four guns and over half its men as casualties (3 dead, 17 wounded).
The "valorous conduct" of the platoon, "in the face of overwhelming odds enabled the task force  to capture its objective", the village of Climbach, and forced the defenders to withdraw to the Siegfried Line. 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation, the first black combat unit, and the first unit attached to the 103rd Division to be so honored. Its soldiers received four Silver Stars and nine Bronze Stars. Captain Thomas received the Distinguished Service Cross on February 20, 1945, and returned home a hero, though he played down his role – "I know I was sent out to locate and draw the enemy fire, but I didn't mean to draw that much." Thomas remained in the Army, and retired with the rank of major on August 10, 1947. 
Thomas married in 1949, and his wife and he had two children. He went to work as a missile technician at Selfridge Air Force Base and later as a computer programmer for the Internal Revenue Service. He died of cancer on February 15, 1980. He was buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan. 
Medal of Honor
In the early 1990s, it was determined that Black soldiers had been denied consideration for the Medal of Honor (MOH) in World War II because of their race. In 1993, the U.S. Army had contracted Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, to research and determine if there was racial dis
Charles L. Thomas