Alaska Highway and European Theater Operations. 95th Engineer Regiment.
Born: 22 August 1911, Charleston, MO. Died: 11 March 2003. Asheville, NC. His father was Frank M. Thompson and his mother was Rubye Martin. Education: BS degree Civil Engineer at University of Missouri in 1935. MS degree Civil Engineer at Harvard University in 1940. He married Dorothy “Dottie” Henderson.
Military History: He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers and went on active duty on 12 July 1936. In 1940, promoted to Captain, he arrived at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, engineer training center, in 1941. His job was to train reserve officers before they were assigned to active duty with the Regular Army. At Belvoir new engineering units were organized and Captain Thompson was assigned to the segregated 95th Engineer Battalion as H&S Company Commander and Battalion Supply Officer.
The 95th Battalion was re-designated as a segregated General Service Regiment and in September 1941 Captain Thompson was sent to Army Command and Staff School at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas for three months. After graduation, he with the 95th were sent to Camp A.P. Hill, Virginia to build a winterized tent camp for a NCO school. They returned to Ft. Belvoir for a short time and then both were assigned to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina for three months. While at Ft. Bragg, Captain Thompson was promoted to Major.
In May 1942, the 95th Engineer Regiment boarded trains at Ft. Bragg, NC and traveled to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Major Thompson was the 2nd Battalion Commander. The 95th Engineers followed the white 35th and 340th engineers constructing the southern sector of the Alaska Highway. In November Major Thompson was promoted to Lt. Colonel.
The 95th Regiment had several changes in Commanders. In July, Colonel Neuman, the 95th Regimental Commander, was replaced by Colonel Heath Twichell, of the 35th Engineers. Colonel Twichell was the Regimental Commander until November 1942 when he returned to the 35th Engineers. Lt. Colonel Owain Hughes took his place for one month and by the end of December 1942, Lt. Colonel Miles Thompson was promoted to Colonel and Commander of the 95th Regiment.
In May 1943, the regiment moved from Canada to Camp Claiborne, LA. Claiborne was one of five military installations in Alexandria, Louisiana. Three weeks later the 95th received orders to travel to England. After a few months and prior to D-Day, Colonel Thompson was transferred to the 360th Engineer Regiment, a white unit.
When the Army Air Force had become a separate service, Colonel Thompson transferred to the US Air Force. He retired from the Air Force in 1964 and from 1966 to 1976 he taught mathematics at Furman University, South Carolina. He and his wife moved to Asheville, NC in 1995 and lived first at Given Estates and then at Deerfield Retirement Community.
Serial #O-020555