In Memory of Horace Emery Thompson
Our Brother
On August 10, 1921,
Eighty-two years ago, in East Texas a baby boy was born.
He was the first child
in a family of Eleven, there is no doubt in my mind
he is smiling down on
us today from Heaven.
He had no older brothers or sisters to teach him the way.
He grew up during the depression, times were hard, food was a luxury.
His love for his Country and family never did sway.
A Dictator had to be stopped, in 1941 our World War II began.
Thousands of our young
men they did send.
Many gave the ultimate
price for freedom that we today enjoy,
How well do we know that each was a Mother’s boy.
The loss of a loved one in battle leaves an unbearable mental scar.
This is the cross we
bear when America goes to war.
To my Brothers and Sisters, comfort we can find, keep your eye upon the cross,
Be ready to go when God
says, it’s now your time.
At age Seven, I will never forget that day a Tele-Gram we did receive…
August 15, 1944, Horace
E.Thompson was Killed in Action in Italy.
The War Department had delivered thousands to other Mothers,
this one was personal, because he was OUR BROTHER.
~RANDALL GROOM THOMPSON
- JANUARY 2003
Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers:
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Our Moments with Horace
I want to write
about one of our family members who is special and became a hero for the family
and me. Horace E. was the first born of
our family was named after mother’s brother [Horace] and daddy’s brother
[Emery]. He was about five years older than I was and always the leader in work
and play. I remember when we lived near the Barlet family…the chimney caught on
fire, he got my hand and we ran outside. The chimney burned itself out and we
went back into the house.
We all worked
hard, times were hard. We worked in the field, in the garden pea patch,
watermelon patch, and other patches. We played some games but; more work than
play. We had the hardest working parents; daddy and moma worked rain or shine.
We went to school but worked when we came home.
We lived, at one
time, by a good lake and we would work and then run to the lake, and by the
time we got there we would have our clothes off and into the water we would go
in our birthday suits! We could bathe and wash our hair at the same time!
Horace grew up,
and World War II came, he went to serve his Country, and in 1944 August 15, he
gave his life for our freedom. He is a hero for all of us. I think about him
and wish I could have known him better. Maybe we could have talked about what
or how he felt. We should talk to each other and let each other know what we
feel and what we think.
Horace you are a
hero and we love you and thank you for being you.
~Rev. Willard Allen Thompson
Brother
I think I can speak for my
entire family: my parents and my siblings, when I say that Horace was the most
beloved of all our cousins. He was an absolute favorite. He was handsome, of
good character, manners, disposition, personality, very intelligent, loving,
considerate, and caring. We were always overjoyed whenever he came to see us. I
cannot remember anything negative about him. He always spent a lot of time
cleaning his boots or shoes before he came into the house. The last time we saw
him was when he was on leave before he went overseas. He used the family car to
take a date (she was a cute girl with very curly hair) and he invited me and my
sisters to go with them. I think we went to a café where there was music.
Later, he took the young girl home and then took us home. I was very impressed
that he loved us enough to take us along too.
~Beni E. (Thompson) Dean
Daugher of Jodie Thurmon Thompson and Emma Aldora “Dora” (Groom) Thompson
Double First Cousin
Horace was very much loved,
sweet smile, handsome and very special to all who knew him. Our neighbors, the
Blassengames were also very fond of him. One evening, he visited our family,
and he and J.T. planned to go frog gigging in a little tank near our farmhouse.
I begged to tag along and they consented. I think I was 11 or so at the time.
We took lanterns and caught a few frogs and had fun. He also played dominoes
with our family, which was my mother’s favorite game. During FDR’s term, the
nation was in such desperate economic plight, millions were unemployed,
thousands of farmers with mortgages were foreclosed, banks closed, etc. The
Civilian Conservation Corps was organized to provide work for unemployed youth.
Also the WPA for adults. Horace joined the CCC and close family members had a
celebration at Uncle Rufus and Aunt Vera’s farm house. When WWII was forced
upon us by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor 12-7-41, without warning,
Horace was drafted in the US Army, boot camp in Texas (Ft. Hulen-Palacios, TX)
and later assigned to a camp in California. He knew he was being sent for
combat in Europe. He came home on leave and I believe he had a premonition he
would not be seeing us again, for he was killed in Italy and gave his life so
that we may have freedom. As believers,
we know we will spend eternity with our Lord and Savior in Heaven and see our
loved ones again.
~Wanda Marcel
“Marcia” (Thompson) Davis
Daugher of Jodie
Thurmon Thompson and Emma Aldora “Dora” (Groom) Thompson
Double First
Cousin
Our
Moments with Horace
(Continued)
Back when we were young we
all lived close together, all the cousins were more like brothers and
sisters. Horace was a kind and loving
person and I still miss him. My sister,
Gladys was the last one in our family (Groom) to see him before he was shipped
out overseas. She lived in Houston and
Horace came by and stayed all night with her & her family. He told her he didn’t think he would come
back alive.
~Estle Herman Groom
Son of Jerome Willie Groom and Lou Vena (Long) Groom
First Cousin
This was in the spring of
1941, I was about 3½ years old. We lived at the Turner place, which is now
located south of I-20. There is an exit sign that says “Turner Hyden.” Horace
had a .22 caliber rifle, we were some distance from the house and the weeds
were tall for me at that age. I was following Horace and was barefooted. I
cannot remember what he was looking to shoot, maybe a rabbit. In those days we
did not have what is called a can-opener, they used a knife and cut the can
across the top in both directions. Now you had 4 diamond shapes of metal that
was opened straight up to get the food out. Anyway, I stepped on one of those
sharp opened cans on the inside of my right foot and I bled like a stuck
hog. Horace picked me up, carried me to
the front porch and held me while mama poured kerosene on the cut, and wrapped
with strips of white cloth, real tight. Today I still have a 3” scar on my
foot!
~Randall Groom Thompson
Brother
He was born on the “Old
Coleman Place” and went to the Elm Grove School, where his daddy had gone.
After I was old enough to start school, the family moved to Mabank and we
attended school there. Then when he was around 11 years of age, we moved to
Whitton. He lost a grade one year because he fell out of the loft and broke his
arm. We moved to Canton during his Jr. High years and he attended Canton
school. He did “extra jobs” by working at other peoples homes. He stayed a lot
with Uncle Jodie and Aunt Dora. His “closest” cousin friend was J.T. Thompson;
his best friend, besides his brother Willard, was Aunt Bertha’s [Jewel
Thompson’s wife] brother, Eddie B. Edwards. They would go frog gigging every
Saturday night. He was excellent at any sport he played and loved pole
vaulting! His favorite meal was french fried potatoes and red beans with one of
mama’s dill pickles, and a big piece of her chocolate cake served all on the
same plate! He was a saint and my best friend! I look at my other brothers and
I see him.
~Alice Nadine (Thompson) Hudspeth
Sister
Rufus F. Thompson, Jr.
