In Brittany on August 10, 1944 in the bitter attacks against St. Malo there died by enemy artillery fire an outstanding soldier, Paul S. Thompson. Tommy was commanding the 908th F.A. Bn. of the 83rd Infantry Division firing at pointblank range against the St. Malo fortifications. The manner of his death seems a fitting end to a great artillery career. He had lived as he died—in the saddle. Tommy primarily was a soldier’s soldier and the many letters received after his death from his men and officers testify to the real admiration and affection of those under him.
Along with some five hundred other members of the Class of ‘29 Tommy entered the Academy on July 1, 1925. Here he was destined to spend eight carefree and happy years: four as a cadet when tenths and demos flowed in freely and four as an instructor in French with such side lines as cadet polo coach, contender in the National Horse Show and crack polo player.
Looking back on Tommy’s years as a young lieutenant one does not see a quiet, studious officer but rather boisterous hell-for-leather type of an officer who did everything well. No matter how late he got to bed or how two-fisted had been the evening Tommy was right on the ball the next morning. It took a rugged constitution and he had it, and it took a lot of real professional ability and he had that to an outstanding degree.
His first post was Ft. Stotsenburg in the Philippines where he arrived, after the usual transport trip, the day before maneuvers. The 24th F.A. at that time was a pack outfit and with “A” Battery Tommy took off on the six weeks maneuver. He was broken in rapidly—six weeks on a jigging horse is an effective if not a pleasant conditioning period.
Tommy was a natural athlete and although he played well anything he undertook, his love for horses directed his abilities towards the mounted sports. He trained his own horses and he did it well, constantly and enthusiastically. Before he left the islands, besides being known as a very capable officer, he was one of the hardest hitting and hardest riding polo players there and he maintained that reputation from there on. When he died he still carried four goals.
He departed Stotsenburg in March 1932 assigned to the 16th Field at Fort Myer. From there he took the 1933-34 course at Ft. Sill and followed this with the Advanced Horsemanship Course. Next stationed with the 83rd F.A. at Fort Benning his reputation as a soldier and as a horseman was preeminent. Then followed a year in Paris where Tommy learned to know the people, the country and the language.
In the summer of 1938 Tommy reported to West Point for duty in the Department of Modern Languages. He was married here the next year to Betty Wilson, sister of Bim Wilson, ‘28. There never has been a more devoted husband than Tommy was nor a prouder father after Paul, Jr. (Herkimer) arrived. Full and happy years followed while at the Point.
But after Pearl Harbor Tommy started to chomp at the bit, a field soldier’s place was in the field. After a refresher course at Ft. Sill in July 1942 he joined the embryo 83rd Division at Camp Atterbury as C.O. of the 908th F.A. Bn. (105mm). This was his outfit: he formed it, trained it, and led it until the end. For it and with it he won the Bronze Star in the Normandy campaign and a soldier’s death at St. Malo.
Those of us who have known and loved Tommy will miss him as the years go by but so colorful was his life that we can always recall glimpses of him. Betty and Herkimer, old Pete the dirty dog, chunky Tiger Lily out-jumping all the thoroughbreds in the National Horse Show, the Ford with supercharger which Jumped the open culvert at Henning, the terrific back strokes in polo, these and many other memories will come to our minds as we wait for Tommy’s passing tread.