Thomas Lee Stafford was born on June 20, 1923, in Washington. He attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute before being drafted into the U.S. Army in March 1943.

Stafford served beginning with the 6th Combat Engineer Special Assault Brigade, with which he participated in the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, and continued operations during the Normandy and Northern France campaigns. In December 1944, he transferred to Company L, 347th Infantry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division, where he rose from platoon sergeant to acting platoon leader after his officer was wounded. He led troops in key engagements, including the Battle of the Bulge, the assault on the Siegfried Line, and the crossings of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers, before advancing into central Europe and Czechoslovakia during the final months of the war. During this period, he demonstrated remarkable initiative and leadership, notably undertaking a daring mission behind enemy lines that contributed to the surrender of a large German force. For his combat performance, he received multiple battlefield promotions, rising from Corporal to 2nd Lieutenant by the end of the war.

After Germany’s surrender in May 1945, Stafford remained with the 87th Infantry Division until its return to the United States, where it prepared for a planned invasion of Japan that was ultimately canceled. Choosing to continue his military career, he later served as aide-de-camp to General Phillip Gallagher. He held assignments in Germany, the Philippines, and occupied Europe during the early Cold War period. Promoted to Captain, he commanded a rifle company with the 1st Infantry Division, including duties securing the German-Czechoslovakian border. He completed two tours in Korea, first with the 7th Infantry Division and later with the 25th Infantry Division in both command and staff roles, and also served in Hawaii and Washington, D.C., in administrative and financial positions. He was promoted to Major before retiring from active duty in 1963, having earned numerous decorations.

Maj. Stafford died on December 30, 2021, and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of photo and information: www.normandy1944.info