William Thompson (Medal of Honor, 1950)

Infobox Military Person
name= William Thompson
born= birth date|1927|8|16
died= death date and age|1950|8|23|1927|8|16
placeofbirth= New York City
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=


caption= Private First Class William Thompson
nickname=
allegiance=United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank= Private First Class
unit=Company M, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
battles=Korean War
awards=Medal of Honor Purple Heart

William Thompson (August 16 1927 – August 23 1950) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War.

On August 6, 1950, Thompson manned his machine gun during an overwhelming enemy attack, providing covering fire for his comrades despite his own wounds. He died of his wounds two weeks later, just after his 23rd birthday, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle. He was buried in Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, New York.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company M, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division

Place and date: Near Haman, Korea, 6 August 1950

Entered service at: Bronx, N.Y. Birth: New York City

G.O. No.: 63, 2 August 1951

Citation:

:Pfc. Thompson distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. While his platoon was reorganizing under cover of darkness, fanatical enemy forces in overwhelming strength launched a surprise attack on the unit. Pfc. Thompson set up his machine gun in the path of the onslaught and swept the enemy with withering fire, pinning them down momentarily thus permitting the remainder of his platoon to withdraw to a more tenable position. Although hit repeatedly by grenade fragments and small-arms fire, he resisted all efforts of his comrades to induce him to withdraw, steadfastly remained at his machine gun and continued to deliver deadly, accurate fire until mortally wounded by an enemy grenade. Pfc. Thompson's dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of military service.cite web
accessdate=2007-12-30
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/koreanwar.html
title = "WILLIAM THOMPSON" entry
work = Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War
date = July 16, 2007
publisher= CMH, U.S. Army]

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients
*List of African American Medal of Honor recipients

Notes

References

*findagrave|9216 Retrieved on 2007-12-27

*cite web
accessdate=2007-12-30
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/koreanwar.html
title = "WILLIAM THOMPSON" entry
work = Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War
date = July 16, 2007
publisher= Center of Military History (CMH), United States Army

Persondata
NAME= Thompson, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=