Thomas Prunty

1972 - 2023

Thomas Prunty
Aug 24, 1972 - March 23, 2023
Tom Prunty, a native of Danbury and former Military Intelligence soldier who played an notable role in the Global War on Terror, answered the Lord's final roll on Thursday, March 23, after suffering a fatal heart attack near his home in Delaware.
Prunty's most distinguishing characteristic was his tribal loyalty to the people and institutions he cherished. Among these great loves was the Army, into which he enlisted on his 17th birthday in 1989. He was posted to the prestigious Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. and later, the Army's Interrogation School at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. He excelled in the intelligence field, where his quick mind and matchless charm proved great advantages. His superiors marked him as a young man with potential, and he was consequently selected to attend the elite British Joint Services Interrogation Organization school. It was there he began a career-long interest in "asymmetrical warfare". Upon his return to the US, and through his determined advocacy, he helped to re-orient his unit's training toward intelligence operations in low intensity conflicts – premeditating the wider Army's move by a decade. Such influence from a still relatively junior soldier was testament to the professional respect Prunty enjoyed from those with whom he served.
Following the September 11 attacks, Prunty helped establish Human Intelligence Collection operations at Guantanamo. His achievements included helping to adapt interrogation techniques to the challenging work of terror-cell questioning. His steadfast adherence to the Hague Conventions was a bright spot in the sometimes uneven history of US interrogation activities. By now at the height of his professional skill, he traded the relative comforts of the Caribbean Navy base for a front-line role in Afghanistan and later Iraq. For his remarkable record of military service, Prunty counts the Bronze Star (with "V" device for valor in combat), multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Forces Commendation Medal and the Close Combat Badge, along with many other awards, campaign medals and foreign decorations.
Prunty was born in Danbury, the seventh and last child in his Irish Catholic family. He was educated at St. Gregory's and Immaculate High School. His sense of enterprise propelled him to a successful civilian career representing pharmaceutical companies, a role which demanded regular travel throughout the world. He eventually started his own company in the same field, and, with a nod to his proud Irish ancestry, named his company "Aramed Strategies" - derived from the name of the Irish goddess of healing. Prunty was a restless, lifelong learner and added to his Western Connecticut State University undergraduate degree, further graduate studies at the University of Maryland, and an MBA from Notre Dame.
His interests beyond Army Intelligence included his beloved Sigma Chi fraternity, a perfectly poured pint of Guinness, a truly museum-quality collection of World War II memorabilia, and cooking for a host of admiring family and friends in whose company he was always happiest. Prunty never married. But he was tall, handsome, and enjoyed the gift of gab; he was rarely without close companionship.
He was predeceased by his mother, Beatrice, and his nephew Finton Prunty.
He is survived by his father William, of Danbury, and six brothers and sisters who gather from near and far to bury their beloved baby brother: MaryBeth, Peter, Tim, James, Robert and Ellen, along with brother-in-law Robert (Goyda). He is also survived by his Godfather, Kevin Murtha. Prunty was adored by his nieces and nephews: Monica, Megan, Katie, Brenna, Camryn, Keegan, Kierny, Melania, and William. Prunty's own Godchildren, above all, Patrick, revered him, as did his cousins, his devoted, life-loyal fraternity brothers from Sigma Chi, and his many close friends. He will be greatly missed as a patriot and citizen-soldier, who lived to the fullest the Army Intelligence motto: "Always Out Front".
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 5th at 10:00am at St. Joseph Church, Danbury, with Military Honors following Mass. Cremation and interment will take place at a later date.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, April 4th between the hours of 4:00 – 7:00pm, at the Cornell Memorial Home, 247 White Street Danbury.
Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to Catholic Charities, https://www.ccfairfield.org/ or to Wounded Warriors Family Support, https://wwfs.org/ .
To leave a condolence please visit www.CornellMemorial.com