OBITUARY: COL. JAMES B THOMPSON
Retired Col. James B. (Jim) Thompson, 70, of Lampasas died Oct. 6, 2006. Private services were Oct. 12 at Fort Sam Houston Veterans Cemetery. Col. Thompson was born March 3, 1936, in New Bern, N.C., where he graduated from high school in 1954.
He married M. Koleta Shaw on May 5, 1957. Col. Thompson earned a bachelor of arts in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University in 1959, and a master of arts in urban studies from Old Dominion University in 1974.
His military education consisted of Army ROTC flight training in 1959; U.S. Army Aviation Safety Officers Course, University of Southern California, 1970; U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Resident Course, 1972; and U.S. Army War College in 1981. Col. Thompson retired at Fort Hood in July 1986 with more than 33 years of service as an aviation branch officer and master aviator with more than 3,400 hours in fixed and rotary wing aircraft. He enlisted in the Army Reserves in November 1953, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, Fort Eustis, Va., in January 1960. He attended flight school and fixed-wing training for the OV-1 Mohawk at Fort Rucker, Ala. Col. Thompson was commander of the 582nd Transportation Co. at Brienne Le Chateau, France, and airfield commander, Coleman Army Airfield at Manheim, Germany. He also served as troop maintenance officer, D Troop, 3/4 Cav., 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi, Vietnam and branch chief for USA Primary Helicopter School at Fort Walters, Texas. In addition, the retired colonel was service platoon commander for the 131st Aviation Company, Hue Phu Bai, Vietnam; staff maintenance officer, 222nd Combat Aviation Battalion; commander, 56th Transportation Co., Long Thong North, Vietnam; Combat Developments Command, Fort Ord, Calif.; Fixed Wing Branch chief, USA Transportation School, Fort Eustis, Va.; and commander, 205th Aviation Co., Finthen, Germany. Also, he served as staff officer for the Aviation Division DSCOPS, Heidelberg, Germany; Army staff officer, deputy chief of staff operations at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; commander, 34th Support Battalion, 6th Cav. Brigade, Fort Hood; commander, NATO Support Activity, Brussels, Belgium; and commander, NATO/SHAPE Support Group (80th Area Support Group) SHAPE, Chevre, Belgium.
Col. Thompson's military decorations include Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with V Device and 14 Oak Leaf Clusters, and Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
After his retirement, Col. Thompson was officer manager for JB Goodwin Real Estate, Westlake Office, from 1986-95, and formed Heritage Country Realty in 1995.
He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Burnet and a member and past president of Westbank Lions Club in Austin. Col. Thompson also was a past vice president of the Buda Lions Club and a member of the Lometa Lions Club. He was a past commander of American Legion Post No. 116 of Lometa, and belonged to the Army Aviation Association of America, where he was a life member and chapter officer. Col. Thompson was past president of the Army Community Eagles Society in Austin and a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He was a life member of the Army War College Alumni Association and a Master Mason at Hancock Lodge, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In addition, he was a life member of the Vietnam Veterans Helicopter Pilots Association and a member of the U.S. Army Transportation Museum Foundation at Fort Eustis. Col. Thompson was a member of the Order of Daedalians, National Fraternity of Military Pilots, and a national life member and member of Longhorn Flight #38 in Austin. He also was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a life member of the Military Officers Association of America.
Survivors include his wife; a brother, Charles B. Thompson, of Gloucester, Va.; children, retired Army Maj. James B. Thompson Jr. of Elizabethtown, Ky., Dr. Suzan K. Thompson of Virginia Beach, Va., Kate Morris of Acworth, Ga., and Maj. Jon B. Thompson of Round Rock; and six grandchildren, Joshua Morris, Magee Morris, Nate Morris, James Morris, Morgan Thompson and Michael Thompson. The family requested memorials be made to Good Nature 6 Fund, First State Bank of Burnet, 136 E. Washington, Burnet, TX 78611.