Paul W. Thompson
Paul W. Thompson | |
|---|---|
_at_West_Point_in_1929.png) As a West Point cadet | |
| Born | Paul Williams Thompson 19 December 1906 Alliance, Nebraska, US |
| Died | 9 February 1996 (aged 89) Daytona Beach, Florida, US |
| Education | United States Military Academy |
| Occupation | Military officer |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross |
Paul Williams "Tommy" Thompson (19 December 1906 – 9 February 1996) was an American military officer. He served as a colonel in the United States Army during World War II at the time of the Normandy Invasion.
Biography
[edit]Paul W. Thompson was born in Alliance, Nebraska on 19 December 1906.[1][2] A member of the Class of 1929 at West Point, he also was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, which was awarded for having distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy in circumstances which do not justify the award of the Medal of Honor. Badly wounded late in the day on 6 June 1944, after recovery he was promoted to brigadier general and became the Information and Education officer of the Communications Zone, the logistics arm of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations. He became the officer responsible for the publication of Stars and Stripes and other G.I. periodicals, the many Unit Histories published for the men and women who served in them, and the re-education of large numbers of soldiers either headed home, or seeking reassignment in the Pacific Theater prior to the capitulation of Japan.
Retiring from the Army as a brigadier general in 1946, he was hired by Reader's Digest, and rose to global business manager, at which point he insisted owner DeWitt Wallace institute a rule of mandatory retirement for executives at age 65, but later proved reluctant when Wallace in turn insisted that Thompson himself comply with this rule.[1][3]
He died in Daytona Beach, Florida on 9 February 1996.[1]
Awards
[edit]- Distinguished Service Cross in 1944 as Colonel in the 6th Engineer Special Brigade[4][5][full citation needed][6][full citation needed][7][full citation needed]
- Commander of the Legion of Honour[7][full citation needed]
- Croix de Guerre (1939–1945) with palms[7][full citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Paul Thompson, 89, Publishing Executive" (4 March 1996), The New York Times, p. D10
- ^ Official Register of the Officers and Cadets. United States Military Academy. 1925. p. 75. Retrieved 7 January 2025 – via Google Books.
- ^ John Heidenry, Theirs Was the Kingdom: Lila and DeWitt Wallace & the Story of the Reader's Digest (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995).
- ^ Headquarters, First U.S. Army, General Orders No. 39
- ^ Military Times/Hall of Valor
- ^ Home of Heroes
- ^ a b c West Point Website
