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World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Sgt. Herbert Joseph Thomas Jr., USMC
1918-1943
"for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty" Herbert Joseph Thomas Jr. was born on February 8, 1918 in Columbus, Ohio to Herbert J. Thomas and Ida Smallwood. He had two older sisters: Ida and Audrey Thomas. The Thomas family did not stay in Ohio very long but moved to South Charleston, West Virginia when Thomas Jr. was seven years old. As a young man, Thomas experienced some difficult times, including the death of his mother when he was 13 years old. He overcame this tragic loss to become a star halfback for South Charleston High School's football team. After graduating from South Charleston High School, his skills on the football field earned him a scholarship to Greenbrier Military School and to Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Herbert J. Thomas excelled on the college field the same way he had on South Charleston's football field. His outgoing personality and skill caused him to become a leader for the team and a beloved friend to the players. He played for Virginia Polytechnic School's freshmen football team in the fall of 1937. The following year, he had proven his worth and moved up to varsity. His senior year made headlines throughout the country when he led the team in pass receptions and scoring. He was the leading scorer in the state and second in the Southern Conference, which earned him a position on the Virginia All-State College football eleven, a place in the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and an All-American mention. Herbert J. Thomas was not just an athlete, but he was a business major, an active member of the Business Club and an outstanding cadet.
Two months before graduation, Herbert J. Thomas left school to enlist in the Army Air Corps but later transferred to the Marines because many of his friends were Marines. Just like his performance on the field, Thomas excelled in the military, being promoted to the rank of sergeant. On November 7, 1943, he advanced his squad through the jungle growth terrain of Bougainville in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific. They had destroyed two machine gun crews when Sergeant Thomas discovered a third. He ordered an attack on the third gun right after he had thrown a grenade; however, the grenade did not hit the enemy but instead, hit some vines and bounced back towards Thomas and his men. Without time to throw the live grenade back towards the Japanese, Sergeant Thomas made the ultimate sacrifice by hurling himself onto the grenade. He saved the lives of all of the men in the squad, who repaid the sacrifice by continuing his order and destroying the third machine gun.
The Medal of Honor was first awarded ten years prior to Virginia Tech's establishment during the Civil War . Of the millions of Americans who have served in our nations armed forces only 3,408 have received America's highest award for valor. Among those few are seven alumni of Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech's seven reflect more alumni so honored than any other institution of higher learning with only three exceptions, West Point, Annapolis and tied with Texas A&M. This is particularly significant when considering that just over half of the nation's medal were awarded prior to Virginia Tech's founding during the Civil War.
Herbert J. Thomas , Class of 1944, a native of Charleston, West Virginia and graduate of South Charleston High School. At Virginia Tech he studied Business Administration. Cadet Sergeant Herbert Thomas was a legendary football player and is a member of Virginia Tech's Athletic Hall of Fame. His senior year he was the second highest scorer in the Southern Conference, and received All American honors. He received the Medal of Honor for action on Bougainville Island in World War II where he was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps. Through dense jungle and severe machine gun fire Herbert Thomas led his men in destroying two enemy machine gun positions. Halted by a third enemy machine gun, he positioned his men to rush the enemy after he threw a hand grenade. He threw the grenade only to have the jungle vines drop it back among his men. Seeing the danger to his men he leaped upon the hand grenade, saving their lives with the sacrifice of his own.
Grave of Herbert J. Thomas Jr.
The heroic sacrifice of Herbert J. Thomas earned him to be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor , Navy Cross, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. He was the first West Virginian awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II. On March 26, 1945, the government named a destroyer, the U.S.S. Herbert J. Thomas, in his memory, which his sister Audrey christened. In addition, his town honored his memory by naming the hospital that opened on December 9, 1946 after him.
Honor...
CITATION:
Rank and Organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 8 February 1918, Columbus, Ohio. Accredited To: West Virginia. For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the battle at the Koromokina River, Bougainville Islands, Solomon Islands, on 7 November 1943. Although several of his men were struck by enemy bullets as he led his squad through dense jungle undergrowth in the face of severe hostile machinegun fire, Sgt. Thomas and his group fearlessly pressed forward into the center of the Japanese position and destroyed the crews of 2 machineguns by accurate rifle fire and grenades. Discovering a third gun more difficult to approach, he carefully placed his men closely around him in strategic positions from which they were to charge after he had thrown a grenade into the emplacement. When the grenade struck vines and fell back into the midst of the group, Sgt. Thomas deliberately flung himself upon it to smother the explosion, valiantly sacrificing his life for his comrades. Inspired by his selfless action, his men unhesitatingly charged the enemy machinegun and, with fierce determination, killed the crew and several other nearby-defenders. The splendid initiative and extremely heroic conduct of Sgt. Thomas in carrying out his prompt decision with full knowledge of his fate reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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