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2023 SESSION


SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 148
Celebrating the life of John Robert Thompson.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 2023

 

WHEREAS, John Robert Thompson, an honorable veteran and beloved member of the West Point community who was notably one of the Montford Point Marines, the first Black recruits to serve with the United States Marine Corps, died on October 15, 2002; and

WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of West Point, John Thompson excelled in his studies at the former Beverly Allen High School in West Point and later attended what is now Virginia State University; and

WHEREAS, John Thompson joined the United States Marine Corps shortly after the branch began accepting Black recruits in 1942, and he served the nation with honor and distinction in Okinawa, Japan, during World War II; and

WHEREAS, after Public Law No: 112-59 was signed by President Barack Obama in 2011, John Thompson, along with the other approximately 20,000 Black service members who had trained at Montford Point in North Carolina between 1942 and 1949 when the camp was decommissioned, became eligible for the Congressional Gold Medal; and

WHEREAS, on September 11, 2022, John Thompson was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his dedicated service with the United States Marine Corps during World War II; and

WHEREAS, following his honorable discharge in 1945, John Thompson devoted 40 years to the Chesapeake Paper Corporation, now WestRock Company, in the company’s power plant, retiring in 1985; and

WHEREAS, in addition to spending time with his family, John Thompson’s favorite pastimes included fishing and deer hunting; and

WHEREAS, guided throughout his life by his faith, John Thompson enjoyed worship and fellowship with his community at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in West Point, where he served as a trustee, in the Men’s Fellowship, and as a deacon; and

WHEREAS, John Thompson will always be fondly remembered and dearly missed by numerous family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of John Robert Thompson, a cherished member of the West Point community and a pioneering member of the United States Marine Corps whose service to the nation is an inspiration to all Virginians; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of John Robert Thompson as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s respect for his memory.