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Private First Class Hiawatha Thompson

A young African American man wearing an Army uniform with a patch on his hat indicating that he was a parachutist.
  • Unit: Headquarters Company, Third Battalion, 187th Regimental Combat Team
  • Date of Birth: July 18, 1932
  • Entered the Military: October 2, 1952
  • Date of Death: March 2, 2017
  • Hometown: Tyler, Texas
  • Place of Death: Omaha, Nebraska
  • Award(s): Parachutist Badge, National Defense Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section 3, Grave Site 170. Omaha National Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska
Contributed by Lilliana Houghton and Willis Lessmann
Mentored by Mrs. Sarah Burr
Syracuse Middle School
2024/2025

Early Life

Hiawatha Thompson was born July 18, 1932 in Troup, Texas to Gladys Clayton and Scott Thompson. Gladys and Scott lived a few doors apart. Hiawatha was born when Gladys was 14. Hiawatha is the oldest sibling to Violet, Pauline, and Nathanial who would follow closely after.  

Much is unknown of his early years, but by age 7, Hiawatha was living with his maternal grandparents, Allen and Violet Clayton. According to the 1940 census, Hiawatha was already working shoveling gravel.  He continued to live with his grandparents until his graduation from Henderson Colored High School in 1950.  

Upon graduation, two years are lost to history. In October 1952 Hiawatha Thompson joined the U.S. Army.

Hiawatha Thompson, age 7, resided with his maternal grandparents in Cherokee County, Texas, 1940. Note his occupation shoveling gravel. National Archives and Records Administration.  
Hiawatha Thompson’s mother, Gladys Smith, July 1951.
Once enlisted, Hiawatha made his grandparents proud of his service. Tyler Morning Telegraph, January 21, 1955.

Homefront

Troup, Texas is located in both Cherokee and Smith counties. Many of the smaller towns in this area have intertwined histories, including Troup and Tyler, Texas.   

While both counties had strong agricultural foundations, the 1950s ushered in a growth in population.  After World War II, Camp Fannin, which was ten miles from Tyler, Texas, served as an infantry replacement training center. Families stationed at Camp Fannin lived in the surrounding communities.  New railroads, machine shops, and manufacturing expanded. This area produced East Texas furniture, clothing, and fertilizer. In the same decade, oil and gasoline production helped in the war effort. Residents in East Texas contributed to the war effort by collecting scrap metal to be utilized by the military.  

While there was much diversity in the workforce, segregation was still prevalent in East Texas, especially within education. Schools in Cherokee and Smith counties were strictly segregated, but there were limited options for students who wanted to continue to high school. 

Color continued to divide in elections. Poll taxes were still in effect in Texas in 1951. African Americans could only cast a ballot  if they paid the poll tax for all local and state voting. 

East Texas schools continued to be segregated in the 1950s.  This photograph shows Emmett Scott High School. East Texas History, Smith County Historical Society (emscotths041).
In the 1940s and 1950s, Texas citizens were required to pay poll tax for local and state elections, a barrier for many voters. Texas State Federation of Labor, Labor Posters, Broadsides, and Art Collection, University of Maryland.
Troup, Texas sat in both counties of Cherokee and Smith, Texas. City of Tyler, Texas.

Military Experience

Private First Class Hiawatha Thompson enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 2, 1952 in Houston, Texas.  Over the next three years, Thompson’s training and skill set took him from Kansas to Japan.  

Training at Fort Riley in Riley, Kansas provided Thompson with certification in field artillery team training, close combat training, combat infantry training, and information operating course technique. He was assigned to Company A, 87th Infantry Regiment.

 Just five months after this placement, in February 1953, Thompson was transferred to Headquarters and Supply Company, Airborne Battalion, in Fort Benning, Georgia. Here soldiers trained for specialized infantry units, which included realistic environments for combat readiness. Thompson earned his Field Artillery Bar. He engaged in paratrooper training. He completed proficiency tests and participated in training parachute jumps, earning his Parachutist Badge on April 24, 1953.     

Thompson was assigned to the Headquarters Battery, 11th Airborne Division Artillery at Fort Campbell, Kentucky from May 1953 to July 1954. In October of 1954, Thompson received orders to deploy to Itazuke Air Force Base in Japan to join Headquarters Company, Third Battalion, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team.  

Japan proved to be a challenge and success for Thompson. During the ten-month deployment at Itazuke Air Force Base, Thompson participated in numerous paratrooper training exercises.  His wife, Arfay Thompson, recalled the stories Thompson told of jumps in the high mountains. Mrs. Thompson later found humour when Hiawatha was nervous to climb ladders after retirement.  

As a member of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, Thompson embraced the Japanese name for paratroopers, the Rakkasan, meaning “falling down umbrella men.”  After discharge, Hiawatha continued to participate in a Nebraska Rakkasan club. 

Upon returning to the United States in July 1955, Thompson was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  Here all paratrooper units were reorganized for future deployment. Thompson remained stationed at Fort Bragg until his discharge on October 3, 1955. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.

While stationed at Itazuke Air Force Base in Japan, Thompson perfected his parachuting technique. Trip Advisor.
The 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team was known in Japan as Rakkasan, meaning falling down umbrella man. Pacific Paratrooper.
Hiawatha Thompson’s DD-214, issued October 3, 1955. Official Military Personnel File.

Veteran Experience

Between 1955 and 1958, Thompson continued to work hard at various jobs, attended a few college classes, and met Gracie Williams. They married in 1958 and moved to Omaha, Nebraska. They had four children: Deborah, Larry, Carl, and Darrell.

In Omaha, Thompson began working for the Paxton-Mitchell Company. He began as an iron pourer and was promoted to a position where he communicated with clients. Thompson devoted 32 years of service to Paxton-Mitchell as a production worker. As adults, his own sons joined the company. Thompson retired in 1997, and fondly remembered the relationships built between colleagues.  

After his retirement from Paxton-Mitchell, Thompson joined the Omaha Public School District as a bus driver. He enjoyed driving students to school and activities.

Thompson separated from Gracie and met his second wife, Arfay Gully at Aimes Bowling Alley. They married in July 1984 and competed in bowling leagues. 

Thompson was forever grateful for his experience in the Army and honored to serve as a paratrooper.  When given the opportunity, he joined the Nebraska Korean War Honor Flight. Korean War Veterans from Nebraska flew to Washington, D.C. to visit the Korean War Memorial and to connect with other Veterans. In addition to this honor, Thompson was recognized during a University of Nebraska football game for his dedication to our country. 

This advertisement for the Paxton-Mitchell Company seeks more dependable men like Hiawatha Thompson. The Omaha Star, July 23, 1970.
Hiawatha Thompson received a standing ovation for his service in the Korean War during a University of Nebraska college football game in Lincoln, Nebraska. Courtesy of Larry Thompson.
Hiawatha Thompson as a Veteran wearing his Korean War Honor Flight jacket. Courtesy of Larry Thompson.

Reflection

Hiawatha Thompson was remembered for his competitive spirit and the pride he took in standing with success. Any new challenge or task would be faced head on and with gusto. His son, Larry, fondly recalled that Hiawatha emphasized, “if you start something, you finish it.”  

Hiawatha Thompson died on  March 2, 2017. He is buried at Omaha National Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska.

Syracuse Middle School Lilliana Houghton and Willis Lessmann visit Hiawatha Thompson’s grave at Omaha National Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska, March 3, 2025.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“Closing Chapter for Foundry.” Omaha World Herald, October 4, 2013.  Newspapers.com (896889807).

Gladys Smith. Photograph. 1951. Etsy.

Hiawatha Thompson, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Hiawatha Thompson and Gracie Williams. Texas U.S. County Marriages, 1837-1965. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Hiawatha Thompson, Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

“Hiawatha Thompson.” Roeder Mortuaries. Accessed October 19, 2024. https://obituaries.roedermortuary.com/hiawatha-thompson. 

“Marriages.” Omaha World-Herald, July 14, 1984. Newspapers.com (888992409).

“News of Etex Fighting Men.” Tyler Morning Telegraph [Tyler, TX], January 21, 1955. Newspapers.com (587124166). 

Number of Inhabitants, Texas. 1950 U.S. Census. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-46.pdf.  

Texas. Cherokee County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclasroom.com. 

Texas. Cherokee County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclasroom.com. 

Texas. Smith County. 1920 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclasroom.com. 

Texas State Federation of Labor broadside, “Be a Good Citizen Pay Your Poll Tax”, circa 1946. Broadside. c. 1946. University of Maryland Digital Collections. https://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/39266.  

Thompson, Arfay.  Telephone interview with author. January 14, 2025. 

Thompson Family Records, 1954-2017. Courtesy of Larry Thompson.

Thompson, Larry.  Telephone interview with author. January 15, 2025. 

“Urges shipment of scrap from Navarro County.” Corsicana Semi Weekly Light [Corsicana, TX], January 18, 1952. Newspapers.com (42834550).

We Need Dependable Men Like “Hiawatha Thompson.” Paxton Mitchell Company Advertisement. Omaha Star, July 23, 1970. Newspapers.com (866354654).

Secondary Sources

“87th Infantry Regiment.” U.S. Army Center of Military History. Updated September 22, 2021. Accessed January 14, 2025. https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0087in.htm. 

“The 187th Rakkasan.” Pacific Paratrooper. Updated July 20, 2020. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com/2020/07/20/the-187th-rakassans-part-1/. 

“Hiawatha Thompson.” Find a Grave. Updated March 8, 2017. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177106929/hiawatha-thompson. 

“Hiawatha Thompson.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/HIAWATHATHOMPSON/904801B. 

Long, Christopher. “Tyler, TX.” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association. Accessed November 13, 2024. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/tyler-tx.  

“National Defense Service Medal.” Roll of Honor. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://www.rollofhonor.org/public/htmldetails.aspx?Cat=award&EntID=4614. 

Olivarez, Jr., Jesse G. “Black Schools of Smith County.” East Texas History, Sam Houston State University. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://easttexashistory.org/items/show/359.   

“Our History.” 11th Airborne Division. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://11thairbornedivision.army.mil/History/. 

“Texas in World War II.” Texas Historical Commission. Accessed November 9, 2024. https://thc.texas.gov/learn/military-history/texas-world-war-ii. 

“Troup, Texas.” City of Troup, TX.  Accessed December 8, 2024. https://trouptx.com/about-us/.  

“U.S. Army Badge Information.” U.S. Army. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://veteranmedals.army.mil/home/us-army-medals-award-badges-ribbon-and-attachments-information/us-army-badges-information. 

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.