My walk today was dedicated in honor of:
Army Veteran Floyd J. Thompson, Age 69 of Key West, FL.
Died Jul. 14, 2002
He retired from the US Army after serving 26 years.
Floyd James Thompson was born in Bergenfield, N.J., on July 8, 1933, the son of a bus driver. He worked in a grocery store and graduated from Bergenfield High School in 1951. He married Alyce DeVries a year after graduating and was drafted in 1956. A slight, freckle-faced young man, he was accepted into officers training and became a lieutenant.
After a stint in Korea, he was assigned to the Special Forces, known for their distinctive green berets. In 1964, he was sent to South Vietnam, where he headed a 12-man team gathering intelligence. In March 1964, when a plane carrying the troops’ payroll came to the team’s base in Khe Sanh, he asked the pilot to take him on a brief reconnaissance mission. When he asked the pilot to fly lower to get a closer look, they were shot down.
He was the longest-held American prisoner of war in U.S. history, spending nearly nine years in captivity in the jungle camps and mountains of South Vietnam and Laos, and in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
His awards include Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device, 2 Purple Hearts, and a Air Medal.
Had an amazing walk today. We walked to the POW Camp on POW Camp Road. The weather was perfect. We got to meet and talk to several people along the way. Was just amazing. I want to thank those that honked and waved in helping me honor this hero.
He will not be forgotten !
