Floyd James Thompson - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

"Floyd Thompson" redirects to this page. For the prominent Chicago lawyer, see Floyd Thompson (lawyer)
Floyd Thompson (lawyer)
Floyd E. Thompson was a justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and a criminal lawyer. He is perhaps best known for representing American businessman Samuel Insull, who in 1934 faced mail fraud and antitrust charges...

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Floyd James "Jim" Thompson (July 8, 1933 - July 16, 2002) was the longest held prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

in United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

history, spending nearly nine years in captivity in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

Early life

Thompson worked for the A&P supermarket before he was drafted by the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

on June 14, 1956. Thompson was at first a very truculent, rebellious soldier, but then decided that he liked the military. After basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Thompson decided to make the military his career.

Military career

After completing Officer Candidate School

Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)

The United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...

, Thompson served stateside and also spent a year in Korea. He was stationed at Fort Bragg when he was recruited into the Army Special Forces as a Green Beret

United States Army Special Forces

The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...

Vietnam War

Captain Thompson went to Vietnam in December 1963. Prior to his deployment, he hadn't heard of the country. He was to serve only a six month tour of duty but was captured on March 26, 1964. He was released on March 16, 1973, 10 days short of 9 years.

Capture

On March 26, 1964, the observation plane (an L-19/O-1 Bird Dog) flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Floyd J. Thompson was downed by small arms fire at 16°39′12"N 106°46′21"E about 20 kilometres from Thompson's Special Forces Camp near Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

Thompson survived the crash, suffering burns, a bullet wound across the cheek and a broken back, and was quickly captured by the Viet Cong. The pilot of the aircraft was not found. Aerial search and ground patrols failed to find any trace of the aircraft.

The following day, an Army officer visited Thompson's home and told his pregnant wife Alyce that he was missing. The trauma sent her into labor and their son was born that evening.

Prisoner of war

Thompson spent the next nine years as a prisoner of war, first at the hands of the Viet Cong; he was later moved to the Hanoi prison system. During his captivity, he was tortured and starved, and suffered the mental anguish of being isolated from other US POWs. At one point, Thompson did not speak to another American for over five years. He was released in mid-March, 1973 in Operation Homecoming

Operation Homecoming

Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick...

Return to the United States

The years following his homecoming, however, were far from happy. Thompson was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and then to full Colonel, but had missed the most important years of his military career while in prison. He didn't have any formal education beyond OCS and hadn't even had experience as a Company Commander. He had difficulty adjusting to a vastly changed peacetime Army. In addition, Thompson's marriage had been troubled even before his captivity, and his wife, believing him dead, had been living with another man at the time he was repatriated. He and his wife divorced in 1975. Thompson's wife Alyce told author Tom Philpott that she believed prison had affected her husband's mind. She said he suffered from nightmares and was abusive towards both her and the children. Thompson later remarried, but divorced soon afterwards. Thompson was never able to form any kind of a relationship with his children. His daughters were only 6, 5 and 4 when he left and his son was born the day of his capture. Only his eldest child barely remembered him. Sadly, Thompson said that one of the things that helped him cope with his brutal imprisonment was thinking of the fine family that awaited his return. Thompson eventually became completely estranged from all his children. He developed a very serious drinking problem

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

and was in several military hospitals for treatment. In 1977, Thompson attempted suicide with an overdose of pills and alcohol. His superiors told author Philpott that had it not been for Thompson's status as a hero, he would have been dismissed from service because of his alcoholism. In 1981, while still on active duty, Thompson suffered a massive heart attack and also suffered a severe stroke. He was in a coma for months and was left seriously disabled. He was paralyzed on one side and could speak only in brief phrases for the rest of his life. In 1990, Thompson's son Jim was convicted of murder and imprisoned for sixteen years.

Retirement

A stroke that left James Thompson left side paralyzed and his age contributed to his forced retirement from active duty in the Army. A ceremony was held for James Thompson in The Pentagon

The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

on January 28, 1982. Because of his recent stroke he had a hard time speaking so Michael Chamowitz, his close friend and lawyer, read his retirement speech.

I am honored to receive this award (the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...

) today but at the same time I am saddened to be leaving active military service. The Army has been my life and I am proud of each of my twenty-five years of service.

Of those 25 years, I spent nine as prisoner of war. Those days were grim, and survival was a struggle. I was able to withstand that long agony because I never lost my determination to live—no matter how painful that became—because I love my country and never lost faith in her, and because I had dreams of what my life would be like upon my return to America. Those dreams were always, unquestionably, of a life that was Army. I found that the dream of continued service gave me a goal that helped me survive my years as a POW.

After my return from Vietnam, the opportunity to serve became the motivating force in my life. Military service has given me my greatest challenges and my greatest rewards. I have worked hard for sound leadership development in the Army and for realistic training. The greatest problem faced by POWs was fear of the unknown. This fear can be reduced, not only for the potential POW but across the awesome environment of the battlefield, by training which is honest enough to address the real issue of combat and which is tough enough to approximate battlefield conditions.

No, I do not now retire freely—there was much I still wanted to do—but circumstances present me no alternative. I leave active military service because I must. But for the rest of my life, the Army will be no less a part of me, and of what I am, than what it has always been.

Colonel Floyd James Thompson

January 29, 1982

Later years and Death

Thompson moved to Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

in 1981, after being medically retired from the U.S. Army, where he remained active in the community, according to the Monroe County Office of Veterans Affairs.

On July 8, 2002, the staff of JIATF (Joint Interagency Task Force) East and some of his close friends threw Colonel Thompson a birthday party. He was described as being in high spirit and full of excitement. During the celebration he chose to quote General Douglas MacArthur's

Douglas MacArthur

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...

"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away" and then he was silent. Everyone in the room sat there quietly and knew that is how Colonel Thompson wanted to go as well.

Eight days later Thompson was found dead in his Key West By the Sea Condominium on July 16, 2002 at the age of 69. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea off the coast of Florida.

Military decorations

In October 1974 James Thompson started to receive medals and awards in recognition for his service and sacrifice in Vietnam

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

.

In October 1974 South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

was the first to honor James Thompson’s service and sacrifice with the country’s highest honor, the Vietnam Military Merit Medal

Vietnam Military Merit Medal

The Vietnam Military Merit Medal was the highest military decoration of South Vietnam during the years of the Vietnam War. Created August 15, 1950, the Military Merit Medal was modelled after the French Médaille militaire, and was the Vietnamese equivalent to the United States Medal of Honor and...

the Vietnamese equivalent to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

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In recognition of his escape from Viet Cong POW camps Thompson received the Silver Star

Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

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For his nine years in captivity Thompson received the Bronze Star

Bronze Star Medal

The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

and Legion of Merit

Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...

. The Bronze Star recognized his continuous resistance to the enemy. The Legion of Merit

Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...

recognized his suffering for his nine years in captivity.

On January 29, 1982 a retirement ceremony was held for Thompson, James Thompson received the Distinguished Service Medal

Distinguished Service Medal (Army)

The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...

in appreciation for his 25 years of service to his country as an Army Officer.

A ceremony held June 24, 1988 in the White House honoring POW's from World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Korea

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

and Vietnam

Vietnam War

. Two representatives were picked from each war to receive the Prisoner of War Medal

Prisoner of War Medal

The Prisoner of War Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 8 November 1985...

. Thompson and Everett Alvarez were picked to represent POW’s from Vietnam

Vietnam War