[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 97 (Monday, June 5, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF LT. GORDON EUGENE THOMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. MATTHEW M. ROSENDALE, SR.

                               of montana

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 5, 2023

  Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize the life and 
service of Second Lieutenant Gordon ``Tommy'' Thompson, a Montanan 
Marine fighter pilot with VMF-224 who failed to return from a combat 
mission over Guadalcanal on August 31, 1942.
  Gordon was a skilled rancher and excellent student, graduating from 
Moccasin High School in 1937 as valedictorian. After attending Montana 
State College, ``Tommy'' decided to chase his dreams of flight and 
joined the U.S. Navy's flight training program in August 1941. A task 
made even more daunting when the attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the 
United States into World War II months later. Gordon never wavered in 
his commitment to his country. Despite knowing the dangers, he saw his 
training through and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine 
Corps and deployed to Guadalcanal.
  The United States had yet to fully expel Japanese forces from 
Guadalcanal when Lt. Thompson arrived on the island. His first mission 
was to monitor enemy activity and prepare for a possible counterattack. 
Unfortunately, the oxygen system in his F4F Wildcat fighter 
malfunctioned, leaving him unable to pilot his craft.
  After being declared ``missing in action,'' Lt. Thompson was awarded 
the Purple Heart, which was sent to the parents, Lachlan and Ita, back 
in Moccasin along with other medals for his bravery. After repeated 
inquiries into the search for their son, the Thompsons were unable to 
learn more about Gordon's death.
  Although postwar searches for Lt. Thompson's remains were 
unsuccessful, in the summer of 2018, a local man recovered Gordon's 
Marine identification tag in his garden. After deploying researchers to 
the area, a team of Department of Defense specialists finally 
discovered Gordon and his missing aircraft. Lt.Thompson was officially 
listed as accounted for on July 13, 2022, to the relief of his family 
and friends. I'm happy to say that he will soon be laid to rest back 
home in Moccasin, Montana.
  Lt. Gordon Thompson's story is that of courage in the face of immense 
danger. Like many others like him, Gordon carried out his duty and paid 
the ultimate sacrifice to defend the freedoms we all enjoy. I want to 
thank Lt. Thompson for his bravely in World War II and thank his family 
for their resilience. I'm proud to acknowledge Lt. Gordon Eugene 
Thompson for his service, and it is a privilege to honor him and his 
family in the U.S. House of Representatives.

                          ____________________