Dale L. Thompson – Colonel, United States Army

From a contemporary press report:

Dale L. Thompson, 93, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, died September 5, 2003, of congestive heart failure at Fairfax Nursing Center., Fairfax, Virginia.

Colonel Thompson, who had been an Arlington resident off and on since 1948, was executive officer of Walter Reed Army Medical Center upon of his retirement in 1965. He also had served as acting chief of the Medical Service Corps, the administrative branch of the Army’s Medical Service.

After his military retirement, Colonel Thompson worked as a sanitarian for the Virginia Department of Health until 1978.

He was born in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and upon graduation from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1932, he was commissioned in the Army.

In his 33 years in the service, his postings included command of Civilian Conservation Corps camps, adjutant general of Army forces in the Middle East, executive officer of the 9th Hospital Center in Landstuhl, Germany, and executive officer of the Directorate of Personnel and Training of the Medical Service Corps.

His awards included the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster and the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters.

Colonel Thompson was a member of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, the Military Officers’ Association of America, Army Navy Country Club, the Scottish Rite and Columbia Lodge 285.

His wife of 54 years, the former Elizabeth Newton Hamilton, died in 1987.

Survivors include three children, Dale Thomson Jr. of Purcellville, Marcia Thompson of Arlington and Pamela Thompson of Chantilly; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

THOMPSON, DALE L., Col., USA (Ret.)

On September 10, 2003, of Arlington, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, the former Elizabeth Newton Hamilton. He is survived by three children, Dale Jr., Marcia and Pamela; three grandchildren, Dale Thompson III, Morgan Thompson and Anne Mendez; two great-grandchildren, Madison and Ryan Mendez. Services will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2003, at 11 a.m. at the Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer, VA. Interment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery with Full Military Honors.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard