William Thompson (Medal of Honor, 1950)

William Henry Thompson
William Thompson
Born	August 16, 1927 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	August 6, 1950 (aged 22) Masan, South Korea
Place of burial	Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, New York, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1945–1947, 1948–1950
Rank	Private first class
Service number	42259324[1]
Unit	24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Battle of Sangju Battle of Pusan Perimeter Battle of Masan Battle of Haman  †
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart

William Henry Thompson (August 16, 1927 – August 6, 1950) was a United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War.

Born to a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in New York City, Thompson entered the Army in 1945 and served tours in Alaska and Japan. At the outbreak of the Korean War, Thompson was a machine gunner of the U.S. 24th Infantry Regiment, a de facto segregated unit.

During the Battle of Masan in August 1950, Thompson was part of a unit conducting an offensive along the Pusan Perimeter. When North Korean troops attacked his company and caused many men to panic and scatter, Thompson stood his ground, refusing orders to evacuate despite being wounded, and covered the retreat of his platoon until he was killed by a grenade. For his actions, Thompson was awarded the Medal of Honor, one of only two African Americans to be so honored in the war.^[2]