SGT Joseph Jerome Thompson

SGT Joseph Jerome Thompson was born 21 Jul 1915 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the 4th of the 9 children born to Samuel Anthony and Ellen Mary (Tierney) Thompson. Both parents and his eldest brother were natives of Scotland, his father from Carfin, in Lanarkshire. His parents had immigrated in 1910 and soon moved to Washington County, Pennsylvania where his father worked as a coal miner. His mother Ellen suffered from heart disease and she died in 1937 at the age of 50. The family rented 183 Smith Street in Canonsburg for $25 a month and Samuel reported 1939 earnings of $1900. Joseph was working as a butcher for Central Market earning $960 in 1939. He married a nurse from Washington County, Pennsylvania, Nellie Judish, in December 1940. 

Joseph was drafted in August 1943. He took his initial military training at Camp Blanding, Florida and left for England in April 1944. However he was not assigned to B Company 116th Infantry until he was transferred from the replacement depot to the unit on 17 Jul 1944. At this time the unit was in the vicinity of Saint-Lo and PVT Joseph fought with the unit in the liberation of Vire. He was promoted to PFC on 13 Aug 1944. PFC Thompson was with the unit as the regiment began the campaign to liberate Brest. Although it wasn't recorded in the morning report, he was promoted to SGT sometime before 15 Sep 1944 when he was wounded by German machine gun fire. Evacuated to hospital he underwent surgery but died on 15 Sep 1944. 

SGT Thompson was ultimately interred in the Brittany American Cemetery. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his actions on the day he died. 

Younger brother, Gerard Alphonsus Thompson, also served in the U.S. Army during the war.