Professional baseball player 1948-1951. Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Veteran - US Army, WW II
Born on January 17, 1917 in Massachusetts.
Leaving his baseball career behind to serve in the military in 1941, Thompson entered the Army and volunteered to be a paratrooper. Thompson was assigned to E Company of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. On September 17, 1944, First Lieutenant Thompson led his men on an assault on the Maas River bridge, near Grave, Netherlands as a part of Operation Market Garden. Though mis-dropped and understrength, Thompson decided to attack the bridge with his 16 man platoon rather than wait for additional troops. The bridge was defended by German forces supplemented by two 20 mm flak guns. Thompson's platoon destroyed "electrical equipment and cables that they expected were hooked up to demolitions", and their bazooka team destroyed the one of the flak guns, permitting the establishment of a roadblock on the bridge while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Thompson went on to participate in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was given a battle-field commission, and ultimately was involved with the Allied occupation of Berlin, where he served as an aide to General James M. Gavin. Thompson was wounded twice during the war, for which he received two Purple Hearts. Other decorations included the Bronze Star Medal with cluster, the Silver Star. The bridge over the Maas River was dedicated as "The John Thompson Bridge" on September 17, 2004.
Source: Find a Grave