[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1217-1218]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LATE HUGH THOMPSON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR.

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a man 
who will long be remembered for devotion to his country, his community, 
and his family. Hugh Thompson, Jr. of Lafayette, Louisiana, passed away 
after a brief illness on January 6, 2006, at the age of 62.
  Born in Atlanta, Hugh joined the Navy in 1961 and left 3 years later. 
He continued his

[[Page 1218]]

military service in 1966 by joining the Army and becoming a helicopter 
pilot. Upon completion of training, Thompson was deployed to serve in 
Vietnam. In 1968, he volunteered for duty that involved flying over 
Vietnamese forests to draw enemy fire and pinpoint the location of 
enemy troops.
  It was on March 16, 1968, that Thompson and his crew; door-gunner 
Lawrence Colburn and crew chief Glenn Andreotta, came upon U.S. ground 
troops opening fire on Vietnamese civilians in and around the village 
of My Lai. After Thompson landed his helicopter in the line of fire 
between American troops and fleeing Vietnamese civilians, Colburn and 
Andreotta provided cover as he went forward to confront the leader of 
the U.S. forces. Thompson later coaxed civilians out of a bunker so 
they could be evacuated, and then landed his helicopter again to pick 
up a wounded child they transported to a hospital. Thompson would later 
say: ``These people were looking at me for help and there was no way I 
could turn my back on them.''
  By the end of his tour of duty, Hugh Thompson had been hit eight 
times by enemy fire and lost five helicopters in combat. He left 
Vietnam after a combat crash broke his back, and was awarded both a 
Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  In 1998, the Army honored Thompson and his crew for their bravery at 
My Lai with the prestigious Soldier's Medal, the highest award for 
bravery not involving conflict with an enemy. ``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,'' Army Maj. Gen. Michael 
Ackerman said at the 1998 ceremony. The three ``set the standard for 
all soldiers to follow.''
  Following his service in the military, Hugh was a devoted servant in 
Lafayette as a Veteran's Service Officer with the Louisiana Department 
of Veteran's Affairs.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States has lost a true hero, and the State of 
Louisiana has lost a devoted leader and dear friend. I want convey my 
heartfelt sympathy to the Thompson family. We are all humbly indebted 
to Hugh's service, and a grateful Nation honors his memory.

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