Their Story
Phillip was born on August 11, 1948, in Moline, Illinois, the son of Russell E. and Fern A. (Kortum) Thompson.[1] His father was a WWII Army Veteran.[2] In 1950, the family was living in Downey, Los Angeles, California.[3]
Phillip graduated from Moline High School June 2, 1967. He joined the Army and was sent to Vietnam. SP4 Thompson was assigned to 52nd Artillery Group, 5th Battalion, 22nd Field Artillery Regiment, as a Cannoneer.[4]
SP4 Phillip Thompson was one of the soldiers with William Albracht, the youngest Green Beret captain in Vietnam, who took command of a remote hilltop outpost called Kate. The base was defended by men from 5th Special Forces Detachments A-233 and A-236, their Montagnard forces, and elements of the 5th Battalion, 22nd Artillery and 1st Battalion, 92nd Artillery.[5] The Firebase was held by only 27 American soldiers and 156 Montagnard militiamen. At dawn on October 30, 1969, three North Vietnamese Army regiments—some six thousand men—crossed the Cambodian border and attacked the Firebase.[6]
Outnumbered three dozen to one, Albracht’s men held off the assault but, after five days, Firebase Kate’s defenders were out of ammo and water. Refusing to die or surrender, Albracht led his troops off the hill and on a daring night march through enemy lines.
The escape is documented in the book Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam’s Firebase Kate and the documentary Escape from Firebase Kate. Phillip was awarded a Purple Heart.[7]
After returning to Moline, Illinois, after the war, Phillip Thompson worked as a welder for McLaughlin Steel for 37 years, retiring in 2011.
Phillip was a member of First Christian Church, East Moline, Illinois. He was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears, and Black Hawks. He loved playing horseshoes.
Phillip W. Thompson, 67, of Moline, Illinois, died Friday, October 30, 2015, at his home.
photo from Phillip Wayne Thompson (1948-2015) – Find a Grave Memorial
[1] Phillip Wayne Thompson (1948-2015) – Find a Grave Memorial
[2] 05 Nov 1984, 6 – The Rock Island Argus at Newspapers.com
[3] 1950 United States Federal Census – Ancestry.com
[4] 19 Aug 1969, 8 – The Dispatch at Newspapers.com
[5] Landing Zone Kate – Wikipedia
[6] From the book jacket of Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam’s Firebase Kate, by William Albracht and Marvin J. Wolf, 2015
[7] Phillip Wayne Thompson (1948-2015) – Find a Grave Memorial
References
Bibliography
Find a Grave, database and images Phillip Wayne Thompson (1948-2015) – Find a Grave Memorial accessed 02 September 2022), memorial page for Phillip Wayne Thompson (11 Aug 1948–30 Oct 2015), Find a Grave Memorial ID 156797080, citing Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Rock Island County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by Paul Mack (contributor 47145486) .
United States, Illinois, Moline, The Dispatch, 1969 Aug 19, Page 8, 19 Aug 1969, 8 – The Dispatch at Newspapers.com Accessed 9/2/2022)
Wikipedia contributors, “Landing Zone Kate,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Landing Zone Kate – Wikipedia (accessed September 3, 2022).
From the book jacket of Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam’s Firebase Kate, by William Albracht and Marvin J. Wolf, 2015
05 Nov 1984, 6 – The Rock Island Argus at Newspapers.com
1950 United States Federal Census – Ancestry.com