Walter W. Thompson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Walter W. Thompson served in World War II in the U.S. Army beginning on December 17, 1943. Mr. Thompson was born in February of 1923 in Grand Marais, Minnesota. He is the son of Raymond and Bertha Thompson.
Mr. Thompson went to Fort Hood, Texas for basic training and then to Camp Miles Standish in Massachusetts. From there he went overseas where he was stationed with the 313th Infantry Regiment and the 79th Infantry Division serving as a rifleman attaining the rank of Private First Class (PFC).
He was honorably discharged from the Army on July 27, 1946.
He was awarded two Purple Hearts.
Source: Cook County Star: Rhonda Silence, reporter for the Cook County Star published Monday, December 4, 2006, page 5B:
“When Walter W. Thompson joined the US Army, he was following in the footsteps of his older brothers, who were already serving at various locations around the globe. Only his youngest brother, Clarence, remained home, just 14 years old, to take care of the family farm.
Walter said it wasn’t easy to leave. Because it was just Clarence and his mother at home, the family had to sell off some of its cattle. He left home on November 23, 1943, just before Christmas. He was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training – far too hot a locale for a young man from Minnesota. Walt said, “I don’t know why they seem to do that – they send the northerners to the hottest places and they send the southerners up north!”
After basic training, he was sent to Camp Miles Standish in Massachusetts, where he was loaded aboard a big troop ship to England. As soon as he arrived in England, he was loaded aboard another ship to France. On the trip across the English Channel, he carved his name on one of the wooden railings – a message seen later by Harley Rindahl, also of Maple Hill, when he was being shipped overseas. Years later, Rindahl told Walter that seeing his name made him feel better, like he wasn’t all alone in the huge war.
Walter was in the 313th Infantry Regiment and 79th Infantry Division. Serving in an infantry unit, he said he and his comrades knew the odds. ‘There was a big turnover. You knew you were going to get wounded or killed,’ he said. Only 19 days after leaving the United States, he was on the front lines. He and three other soldiers were guarding a small bridge. Artillery shells went off nearby, one landing too close, hitting Walter’s leg. He made it to an Aide Station and was ‘evacuated’ to a hospital in Italy. He spent one month there and was judged fit to return to duty.
Walter was sent back into action in France, where they fought their way into Germany. His unit was pinned down in a forest with shells falling around them. One hit a tree right above him and shrapnel pierced his left wrist. Again he had to find his way to a station, this time trekking a mile through a minefield, holding his injured hand. ‘When I went into surgery, I didn’t expect to have a hand when I came out’ recalled Walter, lifting his arm, ‘But here it is – such as it is.’ Walter received his second Purple Heart and was sent back to the United States, where he spent 18 months in Percy Jones Hospital. He was disappointed to have to leave Europe. ‘It was getting close to being over. I would have liked to have been there for the end.’ Asked if he thought he was gong to die, Walter shakes his head. ‘I don’t think about it. When you’re young, you don’t worry about things like that. Everyone was young – all 17 and up. I don’t think there was anyone over 30.’
Asked if he thought a young person should consider the military today. Walter said it’s probably a good thing. ‘There were more killed in one day back then, than all the time put together now. There are no guarantees – a person could be driving down the road and get killed. When it’s over, you get money for school, job skills. I think it’s a good thing.’
Walter went on to make a living for his family despite his war injuries. He worked a variety of jobs after returning to the North Shore and marrying Irene Saethre. He guided, trapped, cut snowmobile and ski trails, and operated a boat rental service. He was a carpenter for the Forest Service, building the bulletin boards at campsites and boat landings, including the one at the end of the Gunflint Trail.”
