[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO PETER MELVIN THOMPSON, JR.

 Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and 
celebrate the life of Peter Melvin Thompson, Jr., a decorated Vietnam 
war veteran and proud member of the White Earth Nation, who passed away 
on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. Today, on June 5, 2019, Mr. Thompson 
will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery 
for his service to this country. He is the first member of the White 
Earth Nation to receive this honor.
  Mr. Thompson served in the Army for 12 years, during which time he 
received six Purple Hearts, one Silver Star with valor device, and 3 
Bronze Stars with valor device. In 1960, at the age of 17, Mr. Thompson 
talked his dad into signing papers allowing him to enlist in the U.S. 
Army. He attended basic training and was posted to Fort Leonard Wood, 
MO, before volunteering to go to fight in the Vietnam war. Mr. Thompson 
deployed twice to Vietnam, first with the First Cavalry Regiment in 
central Vietnam from January 1968 to 1969. During this deployment, Mr. 
Thompson was wounded twice and earned a Bronze Star.
  Soon after returning to the States, Mr. Thompson volunteered for a 
second tour in Vietnam. During his second tour, Mr. Thompson served as 
platoon leader in charge of seven armored personnel carriers and three 
tanks. He was wounded four more times. In 1970, while on a rescue 
mission, Mr. Thompson was injured in combat for the last time. He was 
airlifted to Hawk Hill, where he helped identify all the lost men in 
his platoon before being sent to a field hospital to begin recovery. 
Mr. Thompson was transferred to Colorado, where he finished his 
recuperation and served as a probation officer at Fort Carson before 
being discharged in 1972.
  Mr. Thompson met and married Evelyn Auginaush on July 10, 1973 at St. 
Phillips Church in Rice Lake, MN. Together they moved throughout 
Minnesota before returning to Mr. Thompson's home in Rice Lake. Never 
one to be idle, Mr. Thompson found work as a trapper for the State and 
Tribe Predator Control and also worked at the Leech Lake Indian Health 
Hospital Facilities as a manager, where he won two awards for his 
service. Mr. Thompson's time in the military also left an indelible 
mark on his life and led him to start the White Earth Honor Guard, 
which he remained a part of throughout his life.
  Today, Mr. Thompson is being laid to rest with full military honors 
in Arlington National Cemetery by his wife Evelyn, daughters Cheryl and 
Carol, 15 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, and many others. I am 
proud today to recognize Peter Thompson for his service to this 
country, to Minnesota, and to the White Earth Nation.

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