Anthony O. Thompson

Anthony Orlando Thompson

Headquarters Battery 4th Battalion 42nd Artillery

4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

KIA September 18, 2003

Army Sgt. Anthony O. Thompson

Died September 18, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Orangeburg, S.C.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment,
Fort Hood, Texas; killed Sept. 18 during an ambush by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Tikrit, Iraq.
Two other soldiers from his unit also were killed.
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Sergeant from Branchville, S.C., killed in Iraq, is buried

Associated Press

BRANCHVILLE, S.C. — An Army sergeant killed in an ambush in Iraq was buried Sunday.

Staff Sgt. Anthony Orlando Thompson was the second Orangeburg County man to die since the war in Iraq began.

Thompson and two other soldiers died Sept. 18 during a small arms and rocket-propelled grenade ambush five miles south of Tikrit, Iraq,
The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reported.

Pfc. Vorn J. Mack, 19, also a 2002 Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School graduate, died Aug. 23 in Iraq.

Anthony Thompson was a faithful friend to all who knew him, said his sister, Mary Ellen Bell.

“He was a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a soldier and a good friend,” Bell said.

The Branchville native was one of five children, but known as the “little baby,” Bell said. He played football and basketball
at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School before graduating in 1995. He joined the Army on Nov. 7, 1996.

Four years ago, Thompson married his high school sweetheart, the former Valerie Green.
They have a son, 2-year-old Jaykwon Kyreek Thompson.

Last Primary MOS
13F-Fire Support Specialist/Automatic Weapons Crewman

SSG Anthony O. Thompson's decorations

SSG Anthony Thompson

Anthony O. Thompson

Photo by Brenda N. from the Find A Grave website

The body of Army Sgt. Anthony O. Thompson's is carried to its final resting place by a funeral detail from Fort Jackson, S.C.,
as his widow Valerie, background center, is joined by family and friends for the graveside service Sunday, Sept. 28, 2003,
at Canaan Baptist Church in Branchville, S.C. Sept. 28, 2003. Thompson was killed in combat in Tikrit, Iraq on Sept. 18, 2003.

(AP Photo/The Times and Democrat, Van Hope)

Birth: Mar. 22, 1977
Orangeburg
Orangeburg County
South Carolina, USA
Death: Sep. 18, 2003, Iraq

Army Sgt. Thompson was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment,
Fort Hood, Texas, as an artillery fire support specialist. Thompson was killed in an ambush by small arms fire and
rocket propelled grenades five miles south of Tikrit. Anthony was one of five children, but known as the “little baby.”
He played football and basketball at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School before graduating in 1995. He joined the Army
on Nov. 7, 1996. Four years ago, he married his high school sweetheart, Valerie Green, and they have a 2-year-old son.
Anthony believed in everything. He believed in the president, the military, the war and capturing Saddam Hussein.
He was 100 percent gung-ho. He loved his job and loved what he was doing. He was a patriotic soldier through and through.
Anthony's last visit home was for his mother's funeral in April. In September, he wrote a letter to his wife saying he was
taking part in some very dangerous missions. When she said she was worried for his safety, he told her, "Don't worry.
One way or another, I am coming home a hero."

The grave of Anthony O. Thompson

Anthony's grave is on the right,but unmarked. His name is on the little wooden cross.
Added by: Sandra Wimberly
9/13/2011

From the Find A Grave website

The name of Anthony Thompson is inscribed on the Veterans Memorial in Edisto Memorial Gardens
in the city of Orangeburg, South Carolina.

The Veterans Memorial in Edisto Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg.
Anthony's name is on the panel on the far right.

Photo from the Waymarking website

Anthony's name on the Veterans Memorial in Edisto Memorial Gardens.
His name is in the right hand column, third down.

Photo from the Waymarking website

In 2015 the 81st RSC (Regional Support Command) honored Anthony by naming the new U.S. Army Reserve Center at 112 Cook Road
in Orangeburg, South Carolina after him. The 46,367-square-foot facility is home to the 414th Chemical Company and the
414th Transportation Company. The ceremony was presided over by Major General Janet L. Cobb,
Commanding General of the 81st RSC.

Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler presented a proclamation designating Feb. 21, 2015, as Staff Sgt. Anthony O. Thompson Day in the city
of Orangeburg. The Mayor stated "In today's marketplace where actors and athletes are glamorized, overcompensated and emulated,
thank God for the Anthony Thompsons of the world. They are our true heroes."

Valerie and Jaykwon Thompson, wife and son of fallen Soldier Staff Sgt. Anthony Thompson, reveal
the plaque for the Orangeburg Army Reserve Center named after Anthony February 21, 2015.
Major General Janet L. Cobb is on the far right.

U.S. Army photo from the U.S. Army website

Quilt made for the family of Anthony Thompson by Marine Comfort Quilts

Marine Comfort Quilts

Marine Comfort Quilt Group is a not for profit ministry whose objective is to provide a memorial quilt of comfort to the next of kin of our fallen military.
Our quilts are made from thirty quilt squares, each containing an inspirational message from it's donor or another serviceman.
Our quilts are stitches of love from those who want so badly to bring comfort, but don't know how to help.

For a tribute to Anthony O. Thompson click on the following link:

Legacy Guest Book

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