Lloyd Leslie Thompson

Born: Mission Hill, South Dakota
Enlistment:Drafted
S/N:37073334
Unit:285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion
Rank:Fourth Grade Technician Sergeant
KIA:October 29th, 1944
Resting Place: Mission Hill Congressional Cemetery, Yankton County, South Dakota

Lloyd's early life

Lloyd Leslie Thompson was born on the 21st of December 1915, on a farm in Mission Hill (Yankton County), South Dakota. He was the son of a Danish immigrant named James C. Thompson and his wife Ruby May Reeves Thompson. The Thompsons were a big family. Lloyd had five sisters: Myrtle, Pearle, Anna, Ferne, Mable, and two brothers: Harold and George. They all grew up on a farm in Irene, South Dakota. Lloyd went to school in the Cornbelt District for eight years. He did not go to high school. At the age of 17, on March 19, 1933, along with his brothers George and Harold, and his sister Ferne, Lloyd was baptized at the Elim Lutheran Church in Irene, South Dakota.

Drafted

In March of 1941, Lloyd went to work on a farm near LeMars, Iowa, where he earned 10 dollars a week as a laborer. He stayed there for four months until moving back home, where shortly thereafter, on August 6th, 1941, he was drafted into the military. Lloyd was assigned to the 285th Field Artillery of the U.S. Army.

Training and Combat

Lloyd started his training at Camp Crook, in Omaha, Nebraska, and continued on to Fort Leavenworth, in Kansas. Finally, he finished his training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Madison Barracks in Pine Camp, New York. After that he was assigned to a month of special duty at Buffalo and Dunkirk, New York guarding a raw rubber warehouse.
In January 1944, Lloyd's unit sailed for England, where they trained for five more months until being shipped to France to fight in the battle for Saint-Lô.
After the battle of Saint-Lô, Lloyd took part in campaigns throughout Europe, fighting in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

"Sound and Flash"

Lloyd's job while fighting in the artillery was to dig 4 to 10 foxholes out in no-man's-land. In each foxhole he would place a microphone and run the wire back to a central listening post. Whenever the enemy fired a shot, the microphone closest to the source of the "bang"picked up the sound and helped to pinpoint its origin. This information was then transmitted to the artillery, who would fire an accurate barrage at the enemy. Because Lloyd's work extended beyond the main line of defense (out into no-man's-land), his life was constantly in danger. Also, since there was no wireless connection between the listening posts and the main post, all of the cables had to laid by hand and mended by hand if damaged, all of this, including having to dig foxholes alone, was done out in the open, far from any fire support.

Lloyd's Death

On October 28th, 1944, during a firefight in Germany, Lloyd received a gunshot wound to the neck. He was immediately evacuated to a hospital in France. On October 29th, 1944, Lloyd Leslie Thompson, the farm boy from America's heartland, aged 28 years and 10 months, died from the gunshot wound to his neck.

When Lloyd's remains were returned home to Irene, South Dakota, a close friend accompanied him and stood vigil at his casket for 3 days without rest.

Here is a small text written by Lloyd's sister Pearle about her brother:

"Lloyd Leslie Thompson was a wonderful son and brother who loved life and everyone around him. He had a chance for an honorable discharge when his unit went overseas because of a crippled foot, but he chose to stay with his unit and do what he could for his country. I have his purple heart that he was awarded plus the United States flag that came home on his casket."

I dedicate this text to Lloyd Thompson as a birthday present. He was born on this day 100 years ago. So to thank him and to wish a happy Birthday I give this blog post and my promise that I will always remember him.

Thank you Lloyd and happy 100th Birthday.

I would like to thank Mark McMullen for submitting all this information and also to thank Brett Wilcox, the author of the main article I used to inform myself on Lloyd. Here is a link to the page: http://vetaffairs.sd.gov/sdwwiimemorial/SubPages/profiles/Display.asp?P=1887