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Journal Entry February 9th and Cliff Hope


Feb 9 Stayed in made up G.I. bed roll. Bill gave me Diamond I tried to pull out T.D. (7 ^) stuck behind barn)

Marilu: I'm not sure what the diamond was...a gem? 

Cliff Hope: "Thompson is dead," my diary stated on 9 February. "He is reported to have died before reaching the hospital, being 75% covered with burns. St. Troy (the supply sergeant) came up today to get his personal effects and clothing. It was a helluva feeling to watch Troy sorting out his clothes. There is plenty I could say about how Thompson was becoming a regular obsession with all members of the party, but all this must now rest...Party stayed in all day ---read and writing letters and tried to keep warm. We are moving to Bleialf."

A paragraph in the after action report for 8 February gave more details: "The mission of Party #2 was marred by an unfortunate tragedy which resulted in the death of the Chief of Party, Staff Sergeant Gordon Thompson. Shortly after noon, Sgt. Thompson and his driver, Tec 5 Wagner went out on reconnaissance northeast of the town of Brandscheid, Germany. Despite the fact that the area was heavily mined and booby-trapped, Sgt. Thompson proceeded on his mission. around 1230, the jeep struck a mine on the road, injuring both occupants. Both men were rescued almost immediately by members of a regimental CP of the 90th Division, and treated by medical aid men prior to the arrival of an ambulance. Tec 5 Wagner had been thrown clear of the vehicle and suffered only minor injuries. However, S/Sgt. Thompson had been very seriously hurt and died before reaching a clearing station." In the official battalion history, Thompson was listed as killed in action and as recieving the Bronze Star award posthumously.

"There is certainly a perceptible difference in daily lives with Thompson gone," I wrote in my diary. "Everything seems so quiet & one keeps expecting to see him storming in at any moment."

In the months and years that followed I came to see the life and death of Sergeant Thompson in a different and broader perspective....There was no question that Thompson was bucking for any promotion possible...and we all suffered from the intensity of his ambition. all of us were pretty punchy at that time. You could say we had the 'rattle of the battle'and we certainly were 'fed-up with the setup'. ...In reflecting, I could see that Thompson had qualities of leadership beyond ambition. He was constantly looking after his men, helping them with personal problems. When we landed in France, he drove Giulio Anfuso up and down the beach looking for Anfuso's brother, who was in a port battalion. And, as previously related, he tried very hard to get immediate medical attention for me when I had a high fever in the Aldringen schoolhouse.

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