Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. (April 15, 1943 – January 6, 2006) was a United States Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. He was 62. Alias This company has status ACTIVE and last filed a significant event 6 years ago on 17th September 2014. In 1999, Thompson and Colburn received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award. In 1998, 30 years after the massacre, Hugh Thompson and the two other members of his crew, Andreotta and Colburn, were awarded the Soldier’s Medal (Andreotta posthumously), the United States Army’s highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy. Back to Awards List Hugh Hampton Young Award. ... 2012 Award Winner Ian M. Thompson Jr., MD For outstanding contributions to the diagnosis, control and prevention of prostate cancer. [10] His allegations of civilian killings quickly reached Lieutenant Colonel Frank Barker, the operation's overall commander. The My Lai Massacre was a mass murder conducted by a company level unit of the U.S. Army in the Son My village in the Quang Ngai province of South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. Spotting two possible Viet Cong suspects, he forced the Vietnamese men to surrender and flew them off for a tactical interrogation. Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia. He also spoke at the United States Air Force Academy and to United States Marine Corps officers at Quantico. Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. Engagements: • Vietnam War (1960 - 1973) Biography: Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. Major, U.S. Army. Both Thompson and Colburn had been trying to find each other without success. Nevertheless, Hugh Thompson put himself in harm’s way and shielded the civilians with his own body until lifting them to safety. [26] In 2005, he retired from Louisiana Veterans Affairs. Bilton flew down and spent a long weekend with Thompson discussing the events at My Lai. [22] Bilton was specially invited by Connecticut College to introduce Thompson and Colburn to the audience of students and academics. “There were real good highs, and very low lows,” Thompson said of the visit. If these bastards open up on me or these people, you open up on them. Thompson was buried in Lafayette, Louisiana, with full military honors, including a three-volley salute and a helicopter flyover. Hugh Thompson, Actor: Sea of Love. Andreotta had died in combat three weeks after the massacre, and so was honored posthumously. When the book Four Hours in My Lai (1992)[19] (not to be confused with My Lai 4 (1970)[20] in 2009 turned into film[21]) was published it prompted a campaign to have the heroism of Thompson and his helicopter crew recognised. Something ain't right about this. Thompson flew an OH-23 Raven at the time of the My Lai Massacre, In the early morning of March 16, 1968, Thompson's OH-23 encountered no enemy fire over My Lai 4. Several senior figures in the US military supported the campaign, as did President George H. W. Bush. made a statement in Congress honoring him, stating that the "United States has lost a true hero, and the State of Louisiana has lost a devoted leader and dear friend. Having always wanted to fly, Thompson joined the US Army in 1966 and trained to become a helicopter pilot at Forts Wolters and Rucker. [16] In late 1969, Thompson was summoned to Washington DC and appeared before a special closed hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. No information In 1998, Hugh Thompson Jr., Andreotta (posthumously), and Colburn were awarded a Soldier’s Medal, the United States Army’s highest award for bravery without having direct contact with the enemy. Origin [9] While Thompson was returning to base to refuel, Andreotta spotted movement in an irrigation ditch filled with approximately 100 bodies. David MitchellErnest MedinaWilliam Calley There's bodies everywhere. He was called a traitor by many but also given awards later in life. Between 347 (which was official count of the U.S. Dept of Defense) and 504 people (the number of names on the monument erected at the site) were killed. After this, he returned home to Georgia and ran a funeral home. ?oldid=27002. He grew up in rural Stone Mountain, Georgia, raised by his strict parents. Hugh Thompson is an actor, known for Sea of Love (1989), Blessed Stranger: After Flight 111 (2000) and Poor Boy's Game (2007). During the massacre, Thompson and his Hiller OH-23 Raven crew, Glenn Andreotta and Lawrence Colburn, stopped a number of killings by threatening and blocking American officers and enlisted soldiers of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division. [24] He carried psychological scars from his service in Vietnam for the rest of his life. Distinguished Flying Cross The … [2][3] After dropping out of Troy State University, he volunteered for the United States Navy in 1961 and served with a Seabee construction unit from 1961 to 1964. It also stated that his "sound judgment had greatly enhanced Vietnamese–American relations in the operational area." Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia. Hugh Hampton Young Award. Allies In 1998 he received the Courage of Conscience Award-an award also given to Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and other world-renowned figures who have worked for peace, particularly on behalf of the poor and the Mr Thompson and his colleagues Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta were awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the highest US military award for bravery when not confronting an enemy. Awards and recognition. At the age of 62, after extensive treatment for cancer, Thompson was removed from life support and died on January 6, 2006, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pineville, Louisiana. Was Hugh a hero or traitor? [17] Rivers publicly stated that he felt Thompson was the only soldier at My Lai who should be punished (for turning his weapons on fellow American troops) and unsuccessfully attempted to have him court-martialed. Medina then gave the cease-fire order to Charlie Company to "knock off the killing". THOMPSON, HUGH M, JR. is, or was from BLACKSHEAR in Georgia, United States. Yves Fradet, MD For outstanding mentorship, research, leadership and exemplary surgical care of patients with urologic cancers. He graduated from high school in 1950 and attended Brewton Parker College where he played basketball and baseball. London Guardian, Obituary of Hugh Thompson Jr, 11th January, 2006. They were finally recognized for the heroic act they did. He would go through a couple of marriages, and by his own admission, wasn’t much of a father. He and his crew threatened to shoot any American soldiers that tried to kill these villagers. On March 16, 1968, he and his crew were supporting Task Force Barker (a battalion-sized element of the Americal) in a reconnaissance capacity. United States Army MajorFormer warrants Officer He was born on September 20, 1932 in Vidalia, to the late Thomas Nathanial and Victoria Hall Thompson. When asked by Thompson whether any help could be provided to the people in the ditch, the sergeant replied that the only way to help them was to put them out of their misery. After evacuating a child to a Quảng Ngãi hospital, Thompson angrily reported to his superiors at Task Force Barker headquarters that a massacre was occurring at Sơn Mỹ. He grew up in rural Stone Mountain, GA, raised by his strict parents. This ended his combat career in Vietnam, and he was evacuated to a hospital in Japan and began a long period of rehabilitation. Twenty-six officers and enlisted soldiers, including William Calley and Ernest Medina, were charged with criminal offenses, but all were either acquitted or pardoned. Thompson took off again, and Andreotta reported that Mitchell was now executing the people in the ditch. Goals Thompson quickly received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions at My Lai. Serving as one door-gunner was his crew chief, Specialist Glenn Andreotta; the other door-gunner was Specialist Lawrence Colburn. He is best known for his role in stopping the My Lai Massacre, in which a group of US Army soldiers tortured and killed several hundred unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mutilating their bodies after they had been murdered. The citation didn't mention that the hostile fire was from the American side, and Thompson felt his commanding officers were trying to … They also dedicated a new elementary school for the children of the village. Thompson turned to Colburn and Andreotta and told them that if the Americans began shooting at the villagers or him, they should fire their M60 machine guns at the Americans:[8] "Y'all cover me! [18] Bilton and his colleague Kevin Sim then began researching a book and Bilton conducted further interviews with Thompson and Colburn. NEW ORLEANS -- Hugh Thompson Jr., a former Army helicopter pilot honored for rescuing Vietnamese civilians from his fellow GIs during the My Lai massacre, died early yesterday. Thompson also marked the location of several wounded Vietnamese with green smoke, a signal that they needed help.[5]. In a 2004 interview with 60 Minutes, Thompson was quoted referring to C Company's men involved in the massacre: "I mean, I wish I was a big enough man to say I forgive them, but I swear to God, I can't.". Second Lieutenant William Calley (commanding officer of the 1st Platoon, C Company) then came up, and the two had the following conversation:[7], Thompson took off again, and Andreotta reported that Mitchell was now executing the people in the ditch. He arrived in Vietnam in late December 1967 and joined the 161st Aviation Company (Assault Helicopter),[4] which was reorganized and expanded into the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal) in January 1968. Later that year, both men served as co-chairs of STONEWALK, a group who pulled a one-ton rock engraved "Unknown Civilians Killed in War" from Boston to Arlington National Cemetery. After this, he returned home to Georgia and ran a funeral home. No information [25] Thompson and his crew's actions have been used as an example in the ethics manuals of U.S. and European militaries. [30], Folk singer David Rovics wrote a song about the incident at My Lai called Song for Hugh Thompson. Dec. 2 (UPI) --Actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, most known for his roles as two separate villains in the Mad Max films, has died, his representation said.He was 73 years old. I was aghast at hearing how Lt William Calley got away with cold blooded murder, spending one day behind bars as a convicted criminal. In 1998, 30 years after the massacre, Thompson and the two other members of his crew, Andreotta and Colburn, were awarded the Soldier's Medal (Andreotta posthumously), the United States Army's highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy. On February 8, 2006, Congressman Charles Boustany (R-La.) The helicopter again landed and the men dismounted to search for survivors. It is included on the Smithsonian Folkways CD collection Best of Broadside. Brooks declined to argue with him, even though as a commissioned officer he outranked Thompson. At that point Thompson had all but disappeared off the radar. The Times obituary of Hugh Thompson Jr, 11th January, 2006. Thompson landed his helicopter and dismounted. NEW ORLEANS — Hugh Thompson Jr., a former Army helicopter pilot honored for rescuing Vietnamese civilians from his fellow GIs during the My Lai massacre, died early Friday. Robert Downey Jr.? Immediately following Thompson's report, Lieutenant Colonel Frank A. Barker ordered all ground units in Sơn Mỹ to cease search and destroy operations in the village. In 1988 an English documentary film producer, Michael Bilton, working for Yorkshire Television, managed to contact him via his mother, who was then widowed and living in Texas. Emma Thompson? After dropping out of Troy State University, he volunteered for the United States Navy in 1961 and served with a Seabeeconstruction unit from 1961 to 1964. [11] Concerned, senior American officers cancelled similar planned operations by Task Force Barker against other villages (My Lai 5, My Lai 1, etc.) After coaxing the 11 Vietnamese out of the bunker, Thompson persuaded the pilots of the two UH-1 Huey gunships (Dan Millians and Brian Livingstone) flying as his escort to evacuate them. Thompson was living in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Colburn near Atlanta, Georgia, and they quickly arranged a reunion. Promise me!" It was premiered at the United Nations General Assembly, January 24, 2001. My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, 1968. Occupation Both Thompson and Colburn agreed to be interviewed for the film Four Hours in My Lai (1989) (Remember My Lai? "Here we were supposed to be the guys in the white hats. Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. was born on 15 April 1943 in Atlanta, GA. Pursuing them were soldiers from the 2nd Platoon, C Company. There's something wrong here. Atlanta, Georgia, United States Thompson was condemned and ostracized by many individuals in the United States military and government, as well as the public, for his role in the investigations and trials concerning the My Lai massacre. His other military assignments included Fort Jackson, Korea, Fort Ord, Fort Hood, and bases in Hawaii. "It was the ability to do the right thing even at the risk of their personal safety that guided these soldiers to do what they did," then-Major General Michael Ackerman said at the 1998 ceremony. For the same act of heroism, SPC Glenn Urban Andreotta and SPC Lawrence Manley “Larry” Colburn received the Soldier's Medal. Thompson had no special education, or at least not ‘special’ as society defines it. War Hero. Hugh Mac Thompson Sr. died peacefully Tuesday morning, December 2, 2014, in Blackshear at the age of 82. 'He wanted to kill me.' When Thompson's role in preventing loss of innocent lives became known, the United States Army awarded him in 1998 the Soldier's Medal, which is the highest award for valor not involving combat. That lesson is exemplified by Major Hugh Thompson, Jr., a helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam. After wading through the remains of the dead and dying men, women and children, Andreotta extracted a live boy named Do Ba. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events.