Max Thompson (Medal of Honor), Date of Birth, Date of Death
TweetMax Thompson (Medal of Honor)
United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Date of Birth: 21-Jul-1922
Date of Death: 30-Nov-1996
Profession: military personnel
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Cancer 
About Max Thompson (Medal of Honor)
- Max Thompson (July 21, 1922 – November 30, 1996) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Born in the community of Bethel in Haywood County, North Carolina, Thompson joined the Army from Prescott, Arizona on 18 November 1942.
- By October 18, 1944, he was serving in Europe as a sergeant in Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
- During a battle on that day, near Haaren, Germany, he single-handedly attacked the German forces on several occasions.
- For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later, on June 18, 1945.
- He was one of two people from Haywood County, North Carolina, to receive the medal in World War II, the other being William D.
- Halyburton, Jr..In addition to the Medal of Honor, Thompson also received the Purple Heart and, from the Soviet Union, the Order of Glory, third class, a Presidential Unit Citation with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Good Conduct Medal, and the European theatre ribbon (with five battle stars and the Invasion arrow).
- He reached the rank of technical sergeant before leaving the Army.Max Thompson was just a modest, soft-spoken young man, who preferred showing his discharge papers rather than his Medal of Honor or any of his other awards.
- On his return home, he would willingly talk about Fort Bragg and other places in the US, but would close up when anyone would mention the battles in Europe where he fought and won all those deserved honours.
- He was quiet, unassuming and a mild-mannered fellow who preferred the peace and quiet of fishing.
- When he enlisted, he was 5'8 1/2" tall and was blonde haired and blue eyed.
- Max always made good grades in school, and played basketball.
- He graduated in 1940 and his favorite subject was mathematics.
- Food preferences? Bread and milk! His mother said that he always took that above anything else she would cook.
- Before Max enlisted, he was employed at Champion Paper and Fibre Company. During heavy fighting one day, he and a buddy were in a foxhole, covered with a raincoat, trying to light a cigarette, when a shell hit somewhere nearby.
- The shell blew in the sides of the foxhole, and the concussion punctured both of Max's eardrums.
- A piece of shrapnel went through his helmet, and had he been standing up, instead of bending over lighting his smoke, the same shrapnel would have killed him.After his military service, Thompson worked in Canton, North Carolina, for Champion International Paper's inspection department.
- He died at age 74 on November 30, 1996, and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Enka, North Carolina.
- A road in near Canton was renamed in his honor.
Read more at Wikipedia