Thompson, Pfc. Donald V. 1919-1942

THOMPSON

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 8/12/2015 at 13:56:24

Mason City Globe-Gazette
August 29, 1945

HONOR MEMORY OF ALGONA G. I.
Pfc. Donald Thompson Died in Japanese Camp
Algona—Memorial services for Pfc. Donald V. Thompson, only Kossuth soldier to die a prisoner of the Japanese, were held at First Lutheran Church with the Rev. E. K. Nelson delivering the eulogy.

Local representatives of veteran’s organizations and auxiliaries attended in a body.

Gail Haase, brother-in-law of the dead soldier, pinned a gold star on the church service flag.

Pvt. Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Theo Thompson, was born on a farm near Renwick, June 5, 1919. The family moved to Algona in 1931 and Donald was graduated from high school here in 1936. Dec. 14, 1939, he enlisted in the air corps and was trained at March Field, Cal., and Chanute and Scotts Field, Ill.

Alerted for overseas in October, 1941, he wrote his parents, Nov. 4, 1941, from the Philippines. They received one other letter from him dated January, 1942. That was the last word they had from him.

In September, 1942, they received official government notice that he was missing, and for almost 3 years they had no other communication till Aug. 3, 1945, when a government telegram informed the parents their son was dead. A confirming letter 3 days later said he had died July 4, 1942, from dysentery and malnutrition in a Japanese prison.

Any information about him has been meager. It is now known that he had been missing since the Fall of Corregidor, May 7, 1942, and he had been at Bataan which fell April 9, 1942.