WWHS ALUMNI PAGE
George Thompson ('58)
Beckley Airman Missing In Asia
The following article appeared in the Beckley Post-Herald on May 17, 1966.
The Defense Department disclosed Monday that Air Force 1st. Lt. George W. Thompson, 25, of Beckley is reported "missing in flight over Southeast Asia."
Thompson, a 1958 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and a native of Beckley, is the son of Mrs. Dorcas Thompson of 307 Third Ave. His father, Gilbert, died nine years ago.
Thompson attended West Virginia University before entering the Air Force where he has served the past 4 1/2 years. He underwent flight training, and received his commission at Conley Air Force Base, Waco, Texas.
His mother said he was assigned to Southeast Asia in November 1965.
He is not married.
Thompson has three brothers, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard L. Thompson of Gales Ferry, Conn.; Donald D. Thompson of Augusta, Ga., and Robert W. Thompson of Bladensburg, Md.
Beckleyan's Name Omitted From List Of Missing Men
This article appeared in the Beckley Post-Herald and Register on Jan. 28, 1973.The name of a Beckley serviceman who is classified as missing in action was omitted from the list of West Virginia men who were said Thursday to be prisoners of war or missing in action in Vietnam.
ACCORDING to a staff aide in Congressman Ken Heckler's Beckley Office, he is Air Force Capt. George Thompson, son of Mrs. Dorcas Thompson of 307 Third Ave. Beckley and the late Gilbert Thompson.
The Department of Defense reported Thompson as "missing in flight over Southeast Asia," on May 16, 1966, according to newspaper files. He was 25 at the time.
Thompson is a 1958 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and attended West Virginia University before enlisting in the Air Force. He received his flight training and commission at Conley Air Force Base, Waco Texas.
AT THE time he was classified MIA, he had served in the Air Force over four years and had been in Southeast Asia about six months.
He is not married.
Thompson brings to 11 the number of servicemen from West Virginia missing in action. There are seven men from the state listed as prisoners of war.
The cease-fire agreement, which went into effect Saturday evening, stipulates that all prisoners of war and remaining troops should be out of Vietnam by the end of March.
Mother of Beckley MIA Still Hopes For Son's Return
This article appeared in the Beckley Post-Herald on Feb. 24, 1973.By MARY ROWE
A letter from Mrs. Dorcas Thompson, of Beckley, who is spending at least part of the winter months in St. Petersburg, Fla., tells us of the hope she has that her son who is listed as an MIA (missing in action) is still living.
Mrs. Thompson lives at 307 3rd Ave. in Beckley and spends part of her time in Florida. She feels that perhaps this accounts for her son's name not being included in the state's list of POWs-MIAs.
Her son, Capt. George W. Thompson has been missing since May 15, 1966.
When last heard from, the captain was navigating an AC-47 plane carrying seven other crew members. The last word from the navigator and crew, according to Mrs. Thompson, was that they were flying a night reconnaissance mission over Laos.
They were last heard from at 8 p.m. that day and all was okeh, according to word received by Mrs. Thompson. They were never heard from again.
Captain Thompson's name was not on the POW lists released but the mother's hope is still running high, according to her letter, that her son will be among those who will return.
She wrote, "...I have sent letters for six years to George, never returned. And for four years sent a package every two months. But this past year, 1972, all packages were returned to me. I still have hopes that maybe that maybe by some miracle he might still be alive. Only God knows."
"Ask my friends to keep praying for him. I will be home around the first of April. Miss all of you very much."
Mother of MIA Recalls Loss of Son
This article appeared in the Register-Herald on Dec. 15, 1999.by AUDREY SCHWITZERLETTE
For years, Dorcas E. Thompson sent care packages to her son in Vietnam.
Even after she learned his aircraft had gone down during a bombing mission in 1966, she continued sending the boxes of heavy socks, underwear, hard candy, chewing gum and raisins.
Only the last one she sent was returned to her. That was in the early 1970s, well after her son volunteered to go there.
The fact all the other packages had been received gave her hope her son was still alive, even after government officials from Charleston told her he was missing in action. But as the years passed, Mrs. Thompson, now 89, realized she would never see her son again - at least not on earth.
"He won't come back," Mrs. Thompson said. "I know that. I've reconciled to it, and I turned it over to God a long time ago."
Air Force Maj. George W. Thompson, formerly of Beckley, was navigating an AC-47 gunship on a visual reconnaissance mission over Laos when the aircraft went down May 15, 1966, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson said Tuesday.
"They were flying over the Ho Chi Minh Trail," Mrs. Thompson said. "They sent out a search party and searched for three days, but all they found were little bits of the plane. ... The next afternoon, two officials from Charleston brought the message. They told me he was missing in action."
Mrs. Thompson, a widow since 1956, was working as an LPN at Beckley Hospital when she received the news.
"Working helped," she said. "It has been hard, but then I think of the mothers of those kids who were killed at their school, and I put myself away."
In 1978, Thompson's status was officially changed from Missing In Action to Killed In Action, the Air Force spokesperson said.
Then, about four years ago, Mrs. Thompson said, word came from the government that a search party that was finally allowed to return to Vietnam had recovered some remains.
"Somebody who had been there was with the search party, and he showed them where their graves were," Mrs. Thompson said.
In fact, a search team recovered the remains of the eight crew members June 20, 1995, Feb. 8, 1996, and March 11, 1997, the spokesperson said. On Nov. 24, 1999, the remains were positively identified by an Air Force identification review board.
Seven had been buried in two graves, and one soldier had been buried in weeds nearby, Mrs. Thompson said she was told. They may have been burned with their plane.
"Basically they uncovered a few teeth and one dog tag," Mrs. Thompson said.
But the dog tag was the key.
"It belonged to one of the men who was on the plane with George," Mrs. Thompson said.
The status of the rest of the crew - Col. George W. Jensen, the pilot, of Seattle, Col. Marshall L. Tapp of Los Angeles, Col. Lavern G. Reilly of St. Paul, Minn., Chief Master Sgt. James A. Preston of Bowdon, Ga., Chief Master Sgt. James E. Williams of Oxford, Miss., Chief Master Sgt. William L. Madison of Lexington, Ky., and Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth D. McKenney of Auburn, Mass. - was eventually changed from MIA to KIA.
They all continued receiving promotions through the ranks during their MIA period, the Air Force spokesperson said. Thompson was a 1st lieutenant when he was declared MIA. He joined the Air Force in 1961 after two years in ROTC at West Virginia University.
Three other American servicemen missing since the Vietnam War have also been identified and are being returned to their families for burial in the United States, the Defense Department announced Monday.
However, Mrs. Thompson said although the government keeps in touch with her, she is not aware of any plans for her son's return. The first she heard of it came from a newspaper article released by the Associated Press Monday.
But the Air Force said it's possible someone from Air Force Mortuary Services may have been in touch with one of Thompson's brothers rather than his mother. The Air Force spokesperson said Mortuary Services was experiencing phone problems Tuesday and would not be able to comment on plans for return of the remains until today when its phone lines would be repaired.
"But I can assure you their families have been kept well informed all the way," the spokesperson said.
To Mrs. Thompson, it doesn't really matter what happens to the remains, she said. Closure came some time ago.
"Who knows what might be in that box," she said. "George already has a marker at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens."
The marker is near his brother Bob's grave. His brothers Don and Richard, both Naval Academy graduates, are still living, Mrs. Thompson said. Don lives in Atlanta, Richard in Virginia. If the remains do come home to Beckley, Mrs. Thompson said, she would place them with his marker at Blue Ridge. His soul is elsewhere anyway, she said.
"He was good. If anyone is in heaven, he is," Mrs. Thompson said. "God has helped me a lot. He understands, and he knows what's best."
Raleigh Vietnam Airman Laid to Rest After 34 Years
This article appeared in the Register-Herald on May 18, 2000.By AUDREY SCHWITZERLETTE
Finally.
Decades after Air Force Maj. George W. Thompson's aircraft went down during a 1966 bombing mission, his remains have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
"Its been 34 years," his mother Dorcas Thompson of Beckley said Wednesday. "But it finally came to an end."
Thompson and other family members attended the ceremony in Arlington, Va., Monday to lay to rest the remains of Thompson and seven other crew members from the AC-47 gunship that went down May 15, 1966, during a visual reconnaissance mission over Laos.
Thompson was listed as Missing in Action until search parties recovered the remains of the eight crew members June 20, 1995, February 8, 1996, and March 11, 1997, an Air Force spokesperson said.
On Nov. 24, 1999, the remains were positively identified by an Air Force identification review board.
The remains of all eight men were buried in a single casket, Mrs. Thompson said.
"The ceremony was nice," she said. "I feel better."
Even though Monday's memorial service gave her the opportunity for closure, Mrs. Thompson said acceptance of her son's death came some time ago.
"If anyone is in heaven, he is," she said.
The 1958 Woodrow Wilson High School graduate was known to his classmates as "Little Rock" for his athletic ability. He joined the Air Force in 1961 after two years in ROTC at West Virginia University. Thompson was a 1st Lieutenant when he was declared MIA.
More than 20 West Virginians are among the more then 2,000 Americans remaining unaccounted for from Southeast Asia battle fronts.
Congressional Tribute
Congressional Tribute to Major George Winton Thompson June 27, 2003
On June 27, 2003, the date WWHS Class of 1958 convened for their 45th-year reunion, Congressman Nick Rahall, Third District of West Virginia read the following tribute to Major George Winton Thompson into the Congressional Record.Mr. Speaker, tonight alumni of Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958 will congregate in Beckley, West Virginia. They gather to celebrate the 45 years passing after the graduation of 343 students.
Woodrow Wilson High School so named in 1917 traces its roots to July 13, 1900. The school mascot is a flying bald eagle and the enrollment of the school is identified as the Flying Eagles. As the bald eagle is a majestic bird, it is also an independent creature. Eagles nest but they do not flock. It was therefore preordained that the alumni of this school separate and spread to the four corners of our great nation and beyond.
1958 represents a very different time with American citizens living under different standards. One of those standards was defined by the Universal Military Training Act. Under this Act, able-bodied male citizens past the age of 18 years were subject to six years of military training and duty. The United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps thereby benefited with the coming of age by Woodrow Wilson alumni. One chapter of the military contribution made by the Class of 1958 can be found in the Vietnam War. West Virginia sacrificed more sons on a per capita basis in the Vietnam War effort than any other state in the Union. Vietnam in wartime was where some 1958 graduates celebrated their 10th year beyond graduation. By the end of the Vietnam War, these alumni had returned to their homes and families, except one. This Flying Eagle was reported as missing-in-action on May 16, 1966 when the AC-47 gun ship he was navigating failed to return from a mission. At the time of his last action, the young man who had interrupted his studies at West Virginia University to serve his country held the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. When the exchange of prisoners of war took place following the Vietnam War, this airman was not among the repatriated. During the following years, the airman's mother was encouraged by our government not to relinquish hope. She mailed letters and packages for years. None of the letters or packages were either acknowledged or returned. During these same years, the airman received posthumous promotions up to the rank of major. The mystery surrounding this Class of 1958 Flying Eagle was not resolved until November 24, 1999 when his recovered remains were positively identified. His remains along with remains of seven additional crewmembers on the ill-fated military aircraft were obtained from the crash site during three separate collections during 1995, 1996 and 1997. The recovered remains of all eight crewmembers were scant as the plane had been consumed by flames upon crashing, followed by more than 30 years of deterioration in a jungle environment.
During the 34th year following his last day on Earth this Woodrow Wilson High School alumnus was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, in common with the limited remains of his fellow crewmembers. Every Class of 1958 Woodrow Wilson High School classmate who served honorably in this nation's armed forces gave something, but this one airman gave all for his country and in a greater sense, his family and his classmates. The Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958 alumni gathering in Beckley, West Virginia tonight wish to honor this classmate, Major George Winton Thompson by having his name read into this Congressional Record as evidence he has yet to be forgotten. I hereby honor that request, as this is the first class reunion that the group has known the outcome of Major Thompson's story.
Thank you.
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