THE HEROIC STORY OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS " CLYDE A. THOMASON OF ATLANTA GEORGIA A SERGEANT IN THE U.S. MARINE

 

Clyde A. Thomason of Atlanta, Georgia, a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on August 17, 1942, on Makin Island.

Thomason enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1934 and was honorably discharged in 1939 upon the expiration of his enlistment after serving on the USS Augusta.

 He re-enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in January 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He asked for action, and when Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson was organizing his famous Raiders, Thomason volunteered.

Because he was so tall, 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m), and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg), he had to ask for a height waiver to get into the Raiders. He trained in California before going to the Pacific battlefields in April for duty with the 2nd Raider Battalion.

On August 17, 1942, Thomason led an assault in the Makin Islands against the Japanese. He walked up to a house that concealed a Japanese sniper, forced the door, and shot him before the man could resist. Later in the day, he was killed while leading an assault on an enemy position.

Thomason was one of 30 Marines who did not return from the Makin Island raid. In November 1999, researchers discovered a mass grave on Makin Island that contained human remains, equipment, and dog tags belonging to Marine Raiders.

 Thomason's remains were among those identified. His remains were returned to the United States and were interred at Arlington National Cemetery on August 17, 2001.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 17, 1942.

Following Thomason’s death, the people of Georgia bought a sufficient number of war bonds to purchase a cruiser of the Navy, the USS Atlanta.

The bonds were oversubscribed, and there was enough money to pay for two destroyer escorts, one of which was named the USS Thomason in his honor.

The 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles" was activated on August 16, 1942, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana.

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 In his first address to 101st soldiers, commander Major General William Lee said that though the division had no history, it had “a rendezvous with destiny,” and the division was to be called on when the need was “immediate and extreme.”

The 101st Airborne Division’s “Screaming Eagles” nickname originates from their insignia – a bald eagle on a black shield. 

The eagle on the patch is named “Old Abe” in honor of President Abraham Lincoln and was originally the mascot of a Wisconsin regiment during the Civil War.

On June 6, 1944, the Screaming Eagles became some of the first Allied soldiers to enter occupied France. 

During D-Day, The 101st Airborne Division was given the task of clearing the way for the seaborne assault by seizing the western exits of four

 causeways that crossed marshy areas just inland from Utah Beach and then organizing the southern flank of the beachhead. It would also establish bridgeheads across the Dove River for a later drive to the city of Carentan.  

Perhaps the most famous 101st Airborne Division alum is also one of the greatest guitarists ever. Jimi Hendrix served with the 101st for about a year before he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1962.

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