Corporal Stephen Scott Thompson

HHC Attached to Company A 1-22 Infantry

4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

KIA February 14, 2009

CPL Stephen Thompson 1-22 Infantry

Cpl. Stephen Scott Thompson, 23, of Tulsa, Okla., died Feb. 14, 2009, in Baghdad
of injuries sustained from a gunshot wound.

Thompson entered the military in June 2006 as a fire support specialist and had been assigned to the
1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, since November 2006.

He deployed to Iraq in March 2008.

Thompson’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.

He had been employed as a FIST (Fire Support Team) member from HHC attached to Company A.

Corporal Stephen S. Thompson's decorations

Stephen Scott Thompson

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Stephen S Thompson

Tulsa: Tulsa soldier Stephen Scott Thompson remembered for humor
BY MANNY GAMALLO - Tulsa World
Published: February 18, 2009Buzz up!

TULSA — A Tulsa soldier described as a nice, average person who joined the military to better himself was killed in Iraq, his family said.

Army Cpl. Stephen Scott Thompson, 23, was shot in Baghdad, his father, Philip Thompson said Tuesday. The family was notified Sunday morning.

The Department of Defense said Thompson died from a gunshot wound Saturday in Baghdad.

He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Stephen Thompson grew up in Tulsa and was a 2004 graduate of Memorial High School.

Philip Thompson said his son joined the military three years ago to improve himself.

"I am so proud of my son. Stephen became a man the day he joined; this young man changed overnight.
I remember when I went to his graduation from boot camp, I couldn’t hardly believe who the person that was standing in front of me,”
Philip Thompson said in an e-mail to the Tulsa World.

"From the moment he arrived in Iraq, he never faltered calling home, in fact I heard from him nearly every day.
I last spoke with him on Thursday the 12th, and he told me everything was going pretty well, just the usual stuff.

"He was extremely excited about coming home, all he could talk about was what he wanted to do when he got back.

A friend, Sara Wilson at Fort Hood, Texas, said Thompson had a delightful sense of humor.

Wilson said she was shocked Monday when she learned of his death. She said Thompson and her husband, Sgt. Joseph Wilson,
were close at Fort Hood and also in Iraq.

She said the battalion left for Iraq last March for a year’s deployment and was due to return to Fort Hood in a matter of weeks.

Wilson said Thompson was a forward observer and his death in Iraq was combat-related.

"I knew something had happened,” Wilson said.

She said her husband would call her every night from Iraq, but he didn’t call Saturday or Sunday.

When he finally spoke with her husband on Monday, she said her husband avoided the subject of Thompson’s death because of the pain he felt.

"Before he left for Iraq, I asked him what am I going to do without you?” Wilson said. "He looked at me and said, ‘You better hire a circus clown.’”

from TULSA WORLD

CPL Stephen Scott Thompson is laid to rest

Photo from TULSA WORLD

Members of the Patriot Guard stand vigil at the funeral of CPL Stephen Scott Thompson

Photo from TULSA WORLD

The following is an expanded version of the Tulsa World article above:

A Tulsa soldier described as a nice, average person who joined the military to better himself was killed last week in Iraq, according to his family.

Army Cpl. Stephen Scott Thompson, 23, was shot in Baghdad, his father, Philip Thompson, said Tuesday.

The Department of Defense notified the media late Tuesday that Thompson died Saturday. His father said he was notified by the military on Sunday morning.

However, the father said he doesn’t know the circumstances of his son’s death — whether he was on patrol or in a vehicle when he was shot.

Stephen Thompson grew up in Tulsa and was a 2004 graduate of Memorial High School.

Philip Thompson said his son joined the military three years ago to improve himself.

“I am so proud of my son. Stephen became a man the day he joined. This young man changed overnight. I remember when I went to his graduation from boot camp,
I couldn’t hardly believe who the person that was standing in front of me,” Philip Thompson said in an e-mail to the Tulsa World.

“From the moment he arrived in Iraq he never faltered calling home. In fact I heard from him nearly everyday. I last spoke with him on Thursday the 12th,
and he told me everything was going pretty well, just the usual stuff. He was extremely excited about coming home. All he could talk about
was what he wanted to do when he got back.

“Stephen had many friends. He was the class clown. He was your go-to guy. If you needed anything, Stephen would be sure you had everything that you needed.
He would give you the shirt off his back. He made sure you were good before any thought of himself.”

On his MySpace site, Stephen Thompson wrote that he was counting the days until his tour of duty in Iraq end ed. He wrote that he probably
would make the military a career and eventually go to Germany.

“But I am still undecided,” he wrote, “because I have a lot to be thankful for back home.”

Thompson wrote that he loved to hunt, fish and ride dirt bikes.

He described himself as very social and easy to get along with.

He also wrote that he has a red-nose pit bull, “and he is my boy.”

Sara Wilson at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas, had known Thompson since he was stationed there and described him as an awesome young man
with a delightful sense of humor.

Wilson said she was shocked when she learned of his death Monday.

Wilson said Thompson and her husband, Sgt. Joseph Wilson, were close at Fort Hood and also in Iraq and were part of the 1/22nd Infantry.

She said the battalion left for Iraq last March for a year’s deployment and was due to return home to Fort Hood in a matter of weeks.

Wilson said Thompson was a forward observer with the battalion and that his death in Iraq was combat-related.

“I knew something had happened,” Wilson said.

She said her husband calls her every night from Iraq, but he didn’t call Saturday or Sunday.

When she finally spoke to him on Monday, she said, he avoided the subject of Thompson’s death because of the pain he felt.

“Stephen and my husband were very close,” she said.

They worked together at Fort Hood, where Thompson was a radio-telephone operator, she said.

“Stephen was one of my closest friends,” Wilson said. “I’m an only child, so he was more like a brother to me.

“He was an outstanding young man, hilarious to be around. Oh, God, he had the greatest sense of humor. He could always bring a smile to my face,” she said.

“Before he left for Iraq, I asked him, 'What am I going to do without you?’ ” Wilson said.

“He looked at me and said, 'You better hire a circus clown.’

“You would never meet anyone like Stephen Thompson in your life, and he would tell you that.”

Wilson said Thompson, who had two brothers, talked fondly of his father.

“Stephen spent Thanksgiving 2007 at our house,” she said, and she remembered his father calling that day and thanking the Wilson family for taking care of his son.

And he was always talking of going hunting and working on his old Camaro, which he sold before he went to Iraq, she said.

After he went to Iraq, Wilson said, Thompson decided to make the military a career as a means to advance himself.

“I was real proud of him for that,” Wilson said. “Stephen had an amazing way of doing things,” she said.

By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer

Tulsa World

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PFC Stephen Thompson

Birth: Jul. 14, 1985
Tulsa
Tulsa County
Oklahoma, USA
Death: Feb. 13, 2009
Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq

Army Cpl. Thompson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He died of injuries sustained from a combat related gunshot wound.
Stephen graduated in 2004 from Memorial High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the next couple of years,
he decided he wanted to do more with his life so on June 27, 2006, he joined the Army. In March of 2008,
his unit deployed to Iraq where he was a forward observer – they are set to return home within weeks.
His awards and decorations included the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Stephen had a real bond with his fellow soldiers. When he was home just before Christmas, he was thinking of his buddies.
He knew of the dangers they were in and felt he needed to return quickly to Iraq to help. Stephen had a great smile
and sunny disposition – always enthusiastic and upbeat. Fellow soldiers would gravitate to him because of his optimism
and good nature. Some of his favorite hobbies were hunting, fishing and riding dirt bikes. He also loved working
on his old Camaro which he sold before he went to Iraq. Stephen was counting the days til his deployment to Iraq ended.
He was still a bit undecided about what he wanted to do with his life but was leaning towards making the military a career.
On his personal webpage, he wrote: "Cant' wait to come home for good".

Burial:
Floral Haven Memorial Gardens
Broken Arrow
Tulsa County
Oklahoma, USA
Plot: Veterans Field of Honor

Grave marker for Stephen S. Thompson

Photo by Don from the Find A Grave website

For a tribute to Corporal Stephen S. Thompson click on the following link:

Cpl Stephen S. Thompson

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