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Colonel
Gene Thompson (retired)
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The 2017 Chickasaw Nation calendar features 12 Chickasaw veterans
who served during World War II and the Korean War. This month, 79-year-old
Korean War veteran U.S. Army Colonel Gene Thompson (ret.), of Ada,
Okla., is profiled. Col. Thompson served for over 20 years, specializing
in an area of service that is rarely recognized, but vital to every
soldier's survival - entomology.
"It's the study of insects," Col. Thompson said. "You don't
think of that when you think of the Army. Everyone sees the guy
with the weapon on the front lines. We were basically in charge
of making sure the food that guy ate was free of bugs and that he
was protected from disease."
During his time in war-ravaged Korea, Col. Thompson fought a
range of bug- and germ-related epidemics, from encephalitis and
lice, to infant deaths and contaminated water. His knowledge, combined
with the efforts of the Army, helped save the lives of both American
soldiers and local citizens.
"It gave you a lot of personal satisfaction because you could
directly see your efforts paying off," he said. "To see that change
- providing clean water, preventing the outbreak of diseases - by
the time I got out of Korea, I was hooked on the career."
Col. Thompson went on to head the U.S. Armed Forces Pest Management
Board. Upon his retirement in 1983, he was awarded the Defense Superior
Service Medal.
As a "retiree" he stayed busy with tasks such as teaching special
classes at medical schools and managing federally-funded HIV studies.
"I was fortunate," he said. "Because of my military career I
always had plenty of offers and plenty of things to do, even in
retirement."
Now, Col. Thompson hopes younger people will find inspiration
in his story and realize every branch of the military offers a variety
of career choices.
"The opportunities are vast," he said. "We used to say it takes
three people supporting every one person who is carrying a weapon.
You need people who know technology. You need mechanics, physicians,
pilots, truck drivers, and on and on. People don't stop to think
about all the positions that have to be filled."
When he entered the Army, the draft was active. All men between
the ages of 18 and 35, who didn't fight in World War II, were called
to duty for an average of two years.
The draft doesn't exist today and the American military is made
up entirely of volunteers. It relies on recruiting and capturing
the interest of young people.
"You see the ads on television," Col. Thompson said. "They're
really for a modern Army."
In this modern Army, enlistees can sign up for a particular
specialty. They will still experience boot camp and the Army lifestyle,
and Col. Thompson believes they may also be taking the first step
toward a fulfilling, life-long career.
"With a military career, you never get stuck in a rut," Col.
Thompson said, "because every three years, on average, you're going
to have change and be sent somewhere else, so you have a new set
of challenges."
You must also stay on top of the latest innovations in your
specialty in order to be ready for the next assignment. This is
a difficult habit for Col. Thompson to break. He still keeps track
of what's going on in entomology and says what he sees underlines
how important it is to bring fresh minds into the field.
"There are new diseases coming along all the time, like the
mosquito-borne diseases that we've seen lately, that are all new
viruses and organisms," he said. "And we're still trying to whip
malaria.
"Every 60 seconds, somewhere in the world, somebody dies of
malaria. It's hard for people in the United States to understand
because we're pretty well protected. But a water-borne disease or
an insect-borne disease can take out a large portion of a smaller
country."
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Defense
Superior Service Medal
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Col. Thompson's curious mind and natural empathy made him a
perfect fit for entomology. His agricultural background also gave
him basic knowledge about the impact insects can make on the environment.
"My whole life is a series of 'God-things'," he said. "I got
into FFA my senior year by rigging my school schedule so I could
take it in the afternoons. I was on the insect judging team in FFA.
My uncle talked me into majoring in entomology in college, even
though I wanted to be a rancher. It all led me to the right place."
Col. Thompson grew up in a poor, but happy, household. He remembers
the "rationing mentality" that began in the Great Depression and
followed his family into World War II. But, he said, he had still
never seen anything like the living conditions he witnessed while
working in the Army overseas. Those experiences changed him.
"Those people over there were devastated," he said. "Had I not
been in the Army, I don't think I would have appreciated how other
people live. I don't think I would have appreciated the fact that
almost everywhere you go, there are good people who need help.
"In the Army, I think you gain an appreciation for life, and
you gain pride in the fact that you are a part of sustaining life.
No matter what you do in the Army, no matter your specialty, you
are helping sustain somebody's life somewhere."
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